Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi   

Polling peaceful in delta districts

Photo: M.Srinath

Transportation not a hurdle:People travelling by bullock cart from Koradacherry to vote in Tiruvarur district on Wednesday.

THANJAVUR: Clear sky and scorching sun greeted thousands of voters awaiting April 13 to exercise their franchise. Months of poll preparations by the Election Commission paid off with the voting process being carried on successfully without any untoward incidents in the delta districts on Wednesday.

Polling was approximately 72 per cent in the district with Kumbakonam Assembly constituency recording the maximum of 78 per cent. Thiruvidaimaruthur registered 72 per cent polling, Papanasam 69 per cent, Thiruvaiyaru 76 per cent, Thanjavur 68 per cent, Orathanadu 70 per cent, Pattukottai 69 per cent and Peravurani 72 per cent.

The process that started off on a brisk note in the district, witnessed many queuing up at 7 a.m. under the impression that polling would begin at that time.

After the polling started, long queues were seen in most of the polling booths in Thanjavur town in Thanjavur Assembly constituency, Kandiyur and Thiruvaiyaru in Thiruvaiyaru constituency, Ayyampettai, Ganapathy Agraharam in Papanasam constituency, Orathanadu, Pattukottai and Peravurani.

By one p.m. polling was around 55 per cent and gradually it reached 65 per cent by 4 p.m.

While women voters trumped men in terms of poll strength, many senior citizens and first-time voters were present to make their voice heard in the process. Elaborate bandobust arrangements by the police and NCC volunteers helping out the people to form queues made the process easy and simple.

Booth slips issued by the election commission helped in quick polling.

Except polling agents, political party leaders and cadres were not seen this time around, thanks to the strict norms of the Election Commission. Commission.

Tiruvarur

Brisk and peaceful polling of approximately 78 per cent was witnessed here in the district with Mannargudi polling the maximum of 85 per cent. Polling in Tiruvarur constituency from where Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi is contesting was 75 per cent. Polling in Thiruthuraipoondi was 79 per cent while in Nanilam it was 73 per cent.

Commenting that the democratic process was incident-free, K.Baskaran, Collector said that a total of six EVMs-two in Nannilam constituency, two in Thiruthuraipoondi and two in Tiruvarur- were replaced with new ones as they had developed some snags.

Long queues were seen in Koradachery, Ammaiyappan, Mukundanur, Pulivalam and Tiruvarur town in Tiruvarur Assembly constituency; Needamangalam and Mannargudi in Mannargudi constituency, Thiruthuraipoondi and Mannargudi towns.

P.Moorthy, Superintendent of police, toured the entire district and supervised the bandobust arrangements.

Nagapattinam

It was an event-free elections in the district with Nagapattinam district registering a polling per cent of 81.

While Nagapattinam Assembly constituency registered 82 per cent, Mayiladuthurai Assembly constituency recorded 76.3 per cent of polling, Sirkazhi polled 78.58 percent, Vedaranyam polled 83.65 per cent and Poompuhar registering 80 per cent polling.

While the first hour up to 9 a.m, a nine percent poll percentage was registered in the district, the forenoon registered a poll percentage of 46 percent which went up to 64 percent by 3 p.m.

The control room here received 16 complaints today, with three out of five complaints suggesting money distribution in Vedaranyam; two out of three complaints of money distribution in Poompuhar; three complaints of money distribution in Sirkazhi, three complaints of money distribution and two complaints of canvassing by party cadres within 100 meters of the polling booths, in Nagapattinam.

No complaints were registered from Sirkazhi and Mayiladuthurai.

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