Voting Behaviour of Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election, 2012: A Spatial Study

Abstract

Mapping the voting behaviour and voting turn out pattern of an area is of great
significance for an Electoral Geographers as it depicts the level of political consciousness
and development of that area. The present paper attempts to analyse spatial pattern of voting
behaviour in Uttar Pradesh in 2012 assembly elections with a view to bringing out the electoral
consciousness and party performance in different Constituencies and examine voting behaviour
in the context of Environmental issues. The finding of the paper reveals that there is variation
in voting turnout across the region. It was highest in Rohilkhand Plains at 65 percent and
lowest in the Region at 56 percent. The spatial spread of the SP's (Samajawadi Party) votes
become more even with the increase in overall party vote share. The SP performed well in
Awadh Plains, Ganga-Yamuna Doab and Purvanchal Region both in term of seats and votes
where as the second largest party, the BSP did not formed any continuous region of high
support. The national parties – the BSP and the Congress form a region of low support. In
this election, young, well educated and relatively well of urban were important and influencing
voting segment and voters have favoured parties on the basis of better governance and class
was the main determinant of voter support.