Surat: An analysis of the decline in the number of voters for the upcoming Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) elections has revealed an interesting demographic trend.During a review of the latest electoral data, civic officials noticed distinct patterns in how different communities maintain their voting rights. A majority of migrant workers from other states prefer to retain their voter registration in their native places rather than in Surat. In contrast, many families originally from Saurashtra appear to be splitting their voter registrations—keeping some family members registered in Surat while others remain enrolled as voters in their native villages.Officials came across this pattern while investigating the reasons behind the sharp drop in the city’s voter count.The number of voters in Surat has declined by around seven lakh. Against an estimated population of nearly 80 lakh, the voter count for the upcoming civic body election stands at 24.76 lakh. In comparison, the city had 31.88 lakh registered voters in 2021.“Even before the SIR exercise, the number of voters was lower than the estimated population, but the latest data shows a further drop. During our analysis, we found that a large section of the Saurashtra community maintains a split voting pattern—some family members are registered in Surat while others remain voters in their native villages,” said a senior SMC official.A substantial decline in voter numbers has been recorded in areas such as Udhna, Pandesara, Bamroli, Dindoli, Puna and Limbayat, where the concentration of migrant workers is high. In many of these localities, voters have either shifted elsewhere or had their names removed from the rolls.“The migrant population from other states forms a large floating workforce. Many of them prefer to retain their voter registration in their native places rather than at the location where they are currently employed,” the official explained.
