The Hindu : Front Page : Around 74 per cent polling in third phase

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 04, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Around 74 per cent polling in third phase

Special Correspondent

Polling by and large peaceful barring isolated incidents following unprecedented security measures

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Around 74 per cent of the voters have exercised their franchise in the third and final phase of the polling in Kerala on Wednesday.

According to initial estimates, the polling percentages were around 76 per cent and 70 per cent respectively in Kannur and Kasaragod districts. The third phase covered 15 constituencies in these districts.

The polling was by and large peaceful barring isolated incidents. An attempt was made by a youth to set fire to a polling station in the Thaliparambu constituency. A bomb was exploded near the house of a polling agent at Mattannur in Kannur district early in the morning.

Unprecedented security measures have been taken by the Election Commission to check untoward incidents during the polling. This helped to maintain peace in the polling booths and prevent malpractices. Brisk polling took place in most of the polling booths in the morning in Kannur district with polling crossing 45 per cent by 1 p.m. The pace of polling was comparatively lower in Kasaragod district.

The counting of votes will take place on May 11.

The prominent figures in the fray in the third phase included CPI(M) Central Committee member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan (Thalassery), State president of the Congress (S) Ramachandran Kadannappally (Edakkad), former Congress Minister K. Sudhakaran (Kannur) and former Muslim League Ministers Cherkalam Abdulla (Manjeswaram) and C. T. Ahamed Ali (Kasaragod).

While the fight was mainly between the LDF and the UDF in 13 of the constituencies, a triangular fight took place in the Manjeswaram constituency with the BJP in the reckoning for the seat. The BJP was also putting up a fight in the neighbouring Kasaragod constituency.

More than two crore people voted in the three phases of the polls held in the State. The first phase of polling held on April 22 covered the southern districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Idukki. The second phase on April 29 covered the districts of Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad. While 69.8 per cent of the voters cast their votes in the first phase (59 constituencies), 73.5 per cent exercised their franchise in the second phase (66 constituencies).

Electronic cameras were used in all the polling stations. Voters' lists with the photographs of voters and digital cameras to record images of voters were used for the first time in these elections. Brailee stickers were also introduced for the first time on an experimental basis in the Ariyanad (Thiruvananthapuram district), Chavara (Kollam district) and Kozhikode I constituencies. Repolling was ordered in four polling stations in Kollam district and two polling stations in Kozhikode district.

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