Kerala - Kozhikode   

Campaigning ends after high drama

Staff Reporter

Minor incidents of stone throwing in Koyilandy

LAST-DITCH BID: Activists of the Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front display their strength at the last minute of the election campaigning at Mukhadar in the city on Thursday. — Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

KOZHIKODE : Campaigning for the Assembly elections to the 12 constituencies in the district concluded at 5 p.m. on Thursday.

Activists of both the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) congregated at major junctions in the city and elsewhere in the district with loud speakers blaring out at a feverish pitch for a grand finale. There were also minor incidents of stone throwing on a UDF campaign vehicle at Koyilandy bus stand where the activists gathered for the final showdown. The police had to intervene to disperse the crowd.

Tense situation prevailed in the city where the LDF and the UDF activists congregated at the last minute campaigning at Mukhadar, Vellayil, Gandhi Road and Parappil.

The elections on Saturday will determine the political fate of many prominent leaders in the district, including K. Muraleedharan of the DIC(K) (Koduvally), Forest Minister A. Sujanapal (Kozhikode-I), the former Health Minister and DIC(K) leader P. Sankaran (Koyilandy) and Elamaram Kareem of the CPI(M) (Beypore).

The campaign had been on a subdued note with the sealing on expenditure ordered by the Election Commission. The Commission had deployed poll observers in each constituency to oversee whether any candidate had gone overboard in terms of election expenditure. Loud-speakers were employed by the candidates mostly on the last two days of the campaign. The candidates had focussed on house-to-house campaigning in the district.

Polling will be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. There are 19,46,211 voters in the district who will decide the fate of 80 candidates contesting in the 12 Assembly constituencies in the district.

The largest number of 1,88,592 voters is in the Beypore Assembly constituency. The lowest number of 1,33,996 voters is in the Kozhikode-I constituency.

There are 1,871 polling booths in the district, and as many voting machines too. Extra voting machines are being kept as reserves to be made available in case of emergency. Each booth will be managed by a presiding officer, three polling officers, and police personnel.

In booths where the number of voters is between 1,201 and 1,450 an additional polling officer will be put on duty. In booths where the number of voters exceeds 1,450, an extra polling station will be set up.

There is a ban on the use of mobile phones, cordless phone, and wireless sets within 100 metres of polling booths and counting centres.

There are 77 booths in the district which are identified as `problem booths'. Wooden ramps are being readied for the handicapped persons.

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