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80 per cent turnout in repoll held in two booths

Special correspondent

Polling percentage higher than April 29 figure

KOZHIKODE: Polling was as high as 80.83 per cent in booth number 144 in Kakkamvelli LP School in Nadapuram Assembly constituency where re-polling was held on Tuesday.

Of the 1,096 voters allotted to this polling booth, 886, including 527 women, cast their votes. Polling began on a brisk note in the morning and reached an impressive percentage, as re-polling had evoked renewed interest both among voters as well as poll managers. Re-polling was ordered by the Election Commission in the polling booth as a sticker was found to conceal the name and election symbol of the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate M. Veerankutty on the electronic voting machine.

By the time this was pointed out to poll officials by a woman voter around 12.30 p.m., a good number of votes had been cast. Another voting machine was used for further polling and the one in which candidate's name was hidden sealed and kept aside on the polling day.

Both Mr. Veerankutty and the Left Democratic Front candidate and sitting MLA Binoy Viswom had demanded re-polling.

Many did not cast their vote that day following the confusion. Polling percentage in the booth was 72.2. After re-polling was ordered, a holiday was declared in the region on Tuesday to enable people to vote.

Perinthalmanna

Our Malappuram Staff Reporter writes

The repolling held at booth 109 of Poonthavanam Memorial U.P. School, Keezhattur, in Perinthalmanna constituency on Tuesday registered 86.5 per cent voter turnout.

The Election Commission had ordered the repoll following the failure of an electronic voting machine (EVM) at this polling station on Saturday.

This booth had registered 81 per cent polling on Saturday. The increase in polling will slightly raise the overall voting percentage of the Perinthalmanna constituency. The constituency had marked 70 per cent polling on Saturday.

This was the lone booth among the 2,145 polling stations in Malappuram district where the Election Commission ordered a re-election.

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