Finance Minister Nirmala SItharaman said that too much is being read into over the low voter turnout in the first two phases.
“It may not have touched 80 per cent, but I think we are over-reading this situation,” said Sitharaman. She added that it was not bad as the voter turnout had crossed 60 per cent and stayed over the 40-50 per cent range.
In a State where regional parties have the highest number of MPs, low voter turnout can also be a disapproval for their sitting MPs, said Sitharaman. “Many States are being ruled by regional parties. They have their MPs. When the voter turnout is low, would they admit that their MPs have not been impressive in Parliament?,” she added.
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When asked whether the elections are being perceived as tepid, Nirmala Sitharaman said that it is a narrative that the opposition wants to propagate. “The Opposition knows that they cannot take on Modi on the achievements of last ten years. So the best thing is to adopt the cheapest way and throw an allegation every day,“ she added.
She said that people are not going by narratives but are going by who has actually delivered and fulfilled the promises. She added that the BJP government has done well as per its expectations in South and PM Modi has delivered on his promises.