Pollachi: Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) glitches delayed polling in a few booths in Pollachi constituency, on Thursday. There are 7,36,632 men 7,63,777 women voters and 160 third gender voters in this constituency, and as many as 14 candidates are contesting for the polls.
Electronic voting machine (EVM) failure was reported immediately after polling started around 7 am on Thursday at Pollachi R. Ponnapuram middle school. Many senior citizens waited in a long queue for over 40 minutes and returned home without casting their votes.
'Makkal Neethi Maiyam' (MNM) candidate, Dr. Mahendran, who had his vote in Pollachi, came to R. Ponnapuram middle school around 7 am and waited 54 minutes to cast his vote, as the EVM developed a snag.
Youth and middle-aged voters patiently waited and cast their votes after the polling started by 7:54 am, after the problem was set right.
A similar problem was reported at Kuniyamuthoor government higher secondary school polling booth number 298.
Polling here started around 7 am and was stopped within a few minutes after the EVM went faulty. Polling was stopped for over 40 minutes, and polling started around 7:45 am after a new EVM was brought.
Few voters who came to the booth without Aadhar cards were denied permission to vote at Podanur Nice Academy booth, and the voters raised grievance as to why they cannot be allowed to vote as the polling slip itself had all their details and photo.
Some disabled persons and a person who had suffered a stroke, struggled to get inside booth no: 119 at Podanur Nice Academy, as the booth had no wheel chairs, even as the vehicles in which they arrived were stopped 100 meters away from the booth.
Pollachi constituency was estimated to reach a turnout of 64.56 percent polling around 5 pm.
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