Dehradun : It is a known fact that the elitist class normally does not normally practice their franchise as perhaps standing in long serpentine queues is not their cup of tea. However, the recently held elections to the Uttarakhand vidhan sabha on Jan 30, has also blown the myth that the literate are more aware to casting their vote than the illiterate.
Surprising though it may appear that Udhamsingh Nagar district of the state which has a literacy rate of 74.44 per cent and ranks last amongst the 13 districts of Uttarakhand as far as literacy is concerned, topped the percentage of votes cast amongst all the district of the state. The voting percentage was 76.65 per cent against the overall per cent of the state which h was about 70 per cent.
Likewise Hardwar district, which ranks the last but one, that is 12th in the rate of literacy in the state which stands at 74.62 per cent was second in the list of percentage of votes cast in the recently concluded vidhan sabha elections. The voting percentage stood at 74.78, which was four per cent more than the average for the state.
Uttarkashi district which ranks 10th on the percentage of literacy with a 75.98 percent of literate population ranked third in the number of voters who cast their votes with a turn out of 72.08 per cent.
Dehra Dun district, which tops the literacy chart with 85.24 per cent literates saw only 66.63 percent of its voters cast their votes and ranked fifth in the list of votes cast. Likewise Nainital district, which ranks second in the literacy rate with 84.85 per cent literates stood fourth, with just 68.04 per cent of the voters turning out to cast their votes.
Chamoli district which is third in the literacy list with a 83.48 per cent literate population was eighth in the list of turn out with just 61.13 per cent casting their votes.
A journalist with over 40 years of experience, Jagdish Bhatt was Editor, Hill Post (Uttarakhand).
Jagdish had worked with India’s leading English dailies, which include Times of India, Indian Express, Pioneer and several other reputed publications. A highly acclaimed journalist, he was a recipient of many awards
Jagdish Bhatt, aged 72, breathed his last on 28th August 2021 at his Dehradun residence.
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