Whom does it benefit when voter turnout goes up?

New Delhi, May 13: A higher voter turnout generally indicate that people want change. It also means that people want to be assertive, they really want to make their vote count.

It also shows the that a particular party has had an effective campaign strategy and has been able to convince people to leave comforts of home and vote. It also highlights effective awareness campaign conducted by the Election Commission to make citizens realise the importance of casting votes.

The relative benefit of turnout can be affected by the strength of duty a citizen feels to vote or the relative "attachment" a voter feels to a candidate or a party, as compared to other options on the ballot. For instance, voters might be more willing to come out and vote for the BJP due to the charisma of Narendra Modi which was the case in 2014.

In 1999, the BJP was the incumbent and won; in 2004, it was the incumbent and lost; and in 2014, it was the challenger and won easily. So, there is no clear cut answer to who would benefit from higher voter turn out numbers.