The first-phase of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh saw unprecedented voter turnout at 65 percent — even the central election commission noted as much. Even Punjab and Uttarakhand had seen near-70 percent turnout. Compare these figures with the ones of earlier election, and you will see that the voter turnout has jumped by at least 10 percent. As India gets younger and many people exercise their right to vote for the first time, one is tempted to believe that the awareness among the voters regarding their democratic rights and duties is increasing, that more people are coming out and making their choice.

However, the flipside is that a chunk of the impressive turnout are the rural voters. Given the fact that the rural voters' access to information about the candidates and the parties is severely limited, one is inclined to think that the awareness level among voters, especially the determinants of choice, is not as enabling as it should ideally be. In villages, where votes are cast en masse, the choice levered on influence than on potential viz. a influential candidate with strong links to the village heads has a greater chance of winning than one who could actually deliver governance but lacks ties with the communities. And, urban voters still seem apathetic towards polls in general. Thus, we could be erroneously assuming that the high voter turnout is a sign of growing awareness.

In the light of this discussion and your own observations, would you say that Indian voter is now more aware of his/her democratic right than ever before? Post your thoughts supporting your answer.