Voter Apathy haunts  Lok Sabha 2024: BJP and Congress in Turmoil as Turnout Plummets. BJP's 'Ab Ki Baar, 400 Paar' and INDIA's,  'Chanda Lo, Dhandha Lo' spar  against BJP  and its Panch Guarantees have failed to enthuse the voters in India so far. 

In a blow to the democratic process, the first phase of Lok Sabha 2024 elections has unveiled a troubling reality: voter apathy is on the rise.

The ECI's efforts to tun the Lok Sabha elections 2024 as 'Chunav Ka Parv'  has failed to catch the imagination of the voters across the nation in the first phase. 

Across 102 constituencies, a staggering decline of six to 5% in turnout has left the political leaders and parties guessing and confused in the  phase-1.

Both the ruling BJP-led NDA and the opposition Congress-led INDIA alliance are on the tenterhooks, so is the mainstream media. 

As the nation teeters on the brink of a pivotal electoral cycle, media outlets find themselves torn between conflicting analyses, struggling to decipher the implications of this decline in voting patterns across the nation including Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

Nowhere is this disheartening trend more pronounced than in Uttarakhand, a state emblematic of the national mood as it it being ruled by the BJP for the second time in a row.

Here, a six  percent drop in voter participation  as compared with 2019 Lok Sabha election has sent shockwaves through the political establishment, casting a shadow over the prospects of both major contenders for power.

Generally, it is believed and agreed that the less voting percentage goes in favour of the ruling party as it is assumed that the disillusioned  voters have not come out in large number to vote against the ruling party. 

The ruling BJP might be benefitting from the lack of enthusiasm among voters. But it must nonetheless confront the broader implications of this disengagement from the democratic process.

The root causes of this voter disillusionment are manifold, say analysts.

From the repetitive rhetoric of political leaders to a dearth of credible alternatives, the electorate finds itself increasingly alienated from the very process that shapes its collective destiny.

Even the most high-profile efforts to galvanize support, such as Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodho Nayay  Yatra, have failed to ignite the imagination of the masses, they say. 

This only show the profound disconnect between the political class and the people they purport to represent.

For one thing. against this backdrop of apathy and disenchantment, the Election Commission's ambitious target of increasing turnout in Uttarakhand from 62% in 2019 to 75% in 2024 has proven to be a mere pipe dream.

Uttarakhand is ruled by the BJP for the second time in a row and the voters are here are a disillusioned lot if one gauges by the declining  interest  in the voting. 

Anoop Nautiyal, President of the SDC Foundation, has sounded the alarm, warning of the dire consequences of this decline in voter engagement for the health of Indian democracy.

When compared with the voting per centage in 2019,  the voter turnout in 2024 was dismal 58 per cent in  Lok Sabha elections in Uttarakhand. All the five  Lok Sabha constituencies showed decline in voting percentage. 

"We need to  ascertain the exact reasons for this steady decline in Uttarakhand", said Nautiyal. "ECI and all should be concerned about this declining trend". 

As the nation grapples with the fallout from this alarming decline in voter participation, the onus falls squarely on the shoulders of political leaders and electoral authorities alike to restore faith in the democratic process. 

With subsequent six phases of polling looming large on the horizon, the ruling BJP and Congress and its INDIA alliance partners find themselves locked in a battle not just for votes, but for the very soul of Indian democracy.

The stakes could not be higher, nor the challenges more daunting. 

PM Narendra Modi's charisma  befitting for a slogan- Ab ki Bar 400 Paar-  and INDIA leaders slogan against BJP, "Chanda Lo, Dhandha Lo" citing electoral bond scam,   charisma  to bring out more voters face Himalayan test.