The Hindu : Front Page : 75 per cent polling in second stage of local body elections

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Tuesday, Oct 26, 2010
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75 per cent polling in second stage of local body elections

Special Correspondent

Violent incidents reported from Alappuzha and Kannur districts

PHOTOs: by special arrangement

Of the people…:Chief Minister

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The voter turnout in the second stage of the local body elections held in seven districts in the State on Monday was pegged at 75 per cent. Violent incidents in Alappuzha and Kannur, where repolling was held at seven booths in five places, marred the elections.

According to the provisional figures of the State Election Commission, Alappuzha registered the highest polling, 77.75 per cent, followed by Malappuram 75.6, Kottayam 75.64, Ernakulam and Palakkad 75 and Thrissur and Idukki 73 per cent. A sub-inspector, Prasanth, from the Special Branch, Thiruvanathapuram, was hacked when he tried to tackle a person, reportedly a Communist Party of India (Marxist) activist, who entered a booth at Ambalappuzha with a sword. The police officer sustained serious injuries. Three CPI(M) and two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists were reported to have suffered injuries in a clash that followed. Skirmishes were reported from polling booths at Kainakari in Alappuzha district. Ballot papers in a booth at Bharanikavu in the district had to be replaced on detecting a mix-up in the names of candidates.

The repolling in Kannur district was marred by complaints of intimidation of voters and clashes near the booths in Pattuvam and Thillankeri grama panchayats. This was despite a heavy deployment of the Kerala and Karnataka police. The booths recorded impressive turnouts, Mattool 74.5 per cent, Patttuvam 73, Irikkur 79, Thillankeri 63 and Payyannur 80.47 per cent. The United Democratic Front (UDF) boycotted the repolling in two booths in the district alleging that the poll authorities failed to ensure free and fair polling. The UDF accused the CPI(M) of intimidating voters. A hartal called by the BJP in the district in protest against the attack on the vehicle of a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh functionary at Kelanpeedika, near Iritty, on Sunday was near-total. Three police personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police, were injured in a bomb attack reportedly by BJP-RSS workers at Iritty following a protest march. The police opened fire in the air.

When polling drew to a close in the evening, queues were seen in Malappuram district, which witnessed heavy polling. As many as 254 booths in the district were identified as sensitive and 50 vulnerable, but no untoward incident was reported.

Ernakulam district registered an impressive turnout. The rival fronts claimed that the higher turnout will work to their advantage. The State Election Commission has ordered repolling at Booth No. 4 in Ward 20 of Kochi Corporation on Tuesday. This was following a snag in the electronic voting machine.

Incidents of minor violence were reported from Palakkad, which witnessed a 10 per cent increase in the polling compared to the 2005 elections. Owing to a dispute over ballot papers, polling was held up for nearly 30 minutes at Ward 5 in Thrikkaderi grama panchayat. Following a minor scuffle, the police scared away CPI(M) and Janakeeya Vikasana Munnani workers at the Akkipadam booth in Kumaramputhur grama panchayat. Minor incidents were reported from the Thiruvzhamkunnu and Attappady tribal belts.

The commission said that 69 per cent votes were polled at the Kazhivur ward in Kanjiramkulam panchayat where polling was held on Monday following a printing error in the symbol of an Independent candidate, L. Shine.

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