Assembly polls: Extend time for voting in rain-hit areas, parties tell EC

Chennai: Tamil Nadu recorded over 69.19 per cent voter turnout by 5 pm even as voting was hampered in some districts due to heavy rain, a top election official said. He said appropriate recommendations would be made on extending the voting time in rain affected areas. In Chennai, Pulianthope area was affected due to rains, he added.

"We received representations from DMK, AIADMK and Congress parties to extend time to cast vote in rain hit regions," Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni said on Monday, adding, "We have sent a recommendation to EC (to consider it). However rains have started receding and after considering the situation, further steps will be taken," he said.

Read: DMK, AIADMK, Cong request EC to extend voting time in rain-affected areas

Over 25 percent voters came out to cast their votes till 11 am as Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, DMK’s Karunanidhi, Captain Vijayakanth, actors Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Khushboo showed up during the early hours of the day. The Election Commission earlier deferred polling in Aravakurichi and Thanjavur to May 23 following allegations of bribing of voters. The counting of votes will take place on May 25.

Meanwhile, an estimated 57.54 percent voters exercised their franchise till 3 pm in Kerala as polling steadily picked up pace with three hours left for the close.

The politically sensitive northern district of Kannur continued to be on top with 62.12 per cent voting, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer said. The state capital Thiruvananthapuram recorded the lowest of 44.93 per cent till 3 pm, it said.

After a slow start with 12.11 per cent till 9 am, the percentage picked up later in the day and touched 43.88 per cent at 1 pm.

Here are the live updates:

6:10 pm: 69.19 per cent voter turnout recorded till 5 pm in Tamil Nadu.

4:30 pm: 71.08 per cent polling recorded till 4 pm in Puducherry.

3 pm: 57.54 per cent voter turnout recorded till 3 pm in Kerala.

1.15 pm: Over 42 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm in Tamil Nadu while Kerala registered a 45 per cent turnout.

12.45 pm: Kerala witnessed brisk polling for the 140 Assembly constituencies with 28.46 per cent voting recorded till noon. According to Election Commissioner officials, Waynad registered 31.03 polling followed by Kannur and Alappuzha which registered 30 per cent polling while Thiruvananthapuram district recorded the lowest with 23.10 per cent.

11.05 am: 25.2 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 11 am in Tamil Nadu. While Kerala noted 30 per cent, Puducherry recorded 27.52 per cent.

10.30 am: After casting his vote in Kottayam, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said, "Going by the ground situation, there is no sign of BJP."

10.15 am: Rain in parts of Kerala did not deter voters to cast their vote. Cricketer-turned-politician S Sreeshanth posted a selfie after casting his vote in Thiruvananthapuram.

10 am: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa casts her vote at Chennai's Stella Maris College. "In two days, you will know as to what is the judgement of the people," said Jayalalithaa after casting her vote.

Read: Coming two days will decide Tamil Nadu's fate: Jayalalithaa

9.45 am: 13.5 per cent voter turnout recorded till 9.30 am in Kerala, while 14 per cent polling was registered in union territory of Puducherry till 9.30 am.

9.05 am: 20 per cent polling recorded till 9 am in Tamil Nadu; voter turnout in Chennai was13 per cent.

9 am: Despite heavy rain in South and Central Kerala, 5 per cent voter turnout was recorded.

8.45 am: DMK Treasurer MK Stalin casted his vote in SIET College, Chennai.

8.30 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged the voters to vote in record numbers. "Urging all voters in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry to vote in record numbers today & be a part of this festival of democracy," he tweeted.

7.45 am: "Everyone should vote, that is a duty," said Rajinikanth after casting his vote in Chennai's Stella Maris College.

Read: Rajinikanth urges people to vote, evades query on money row

7.30 am: "We will win enough number of seats, our winning prospects are bright," said DMK president M. Karunanidhi after casting his vote.

DMK chief Karunanidhi and actor Rajinikanth caste their vote in Chennai. (Photo: Twitter)

In Kerala, 2.56 crore electors, including 1.33 crore females, will cast their votes. A total of 1, 203 candidates, including 109 females, are in the fray. There are 21,646 polling booths across the State.

A total of 1.12 lakhs polling officials have been drafted for polling duty. A reserve of 20 to 25% Electronic Voting Machines will be available in all the constituencies as a standy arrangement, he said adding that for the first time Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) will be introduced in 12 constituencies spread over 10 districts.

Read: 52,000 police personnel deployed to oversee polls in Kerala

In Puducherry, over 9 lakh voters will exercise their franchise. Voting commenced at 930 polling stations spread over four regions of the Union Territory. As many as 5,382 officials are deputed for polling duties.

Over 6,000 police personnel including the central paramilitary forces will provide security for assembly polls.

This is the first time Tamil Nadu will be witnessing six-cornered fierce contests with the Dravidian majors — AIADMK and DMK — being pitted against a formidable Third Front of six regional parties, evoking political interest across India.

Elections to Aravakurichi constituency in Karur district will be held on May 23 after Election Commission postponed the polling citing huge flow of money.

Elaborate arrangements have been made at all 66,007 booths across the state and 1.72 lakh Electronic Voting Machines have reached the polling stations for the elections on Monday. Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency from where Chief Minister Ms Jayalalithaa is seeking re-election has maximum number of 45 candidates in fray.

The election, which is being touted as the fiercest contest for decades in Tamil Nadu politics, has seen many firsts with a notable one being parties contesting the elections by projecting a Chief Ministerial candidate.

Read: Tamil Nadu assembly elections: It’s change vs constant

The PMK was the first to anoint its youth leader Anbumani Ramadoss as the presumptive CM followed by the DMDK-PWA-TMC alliance, which has projected actor Vijayakanth for the top post.

Ms Jayalalithaa has shown her political guts by fielding candidates in all 234 constituencies, a bold move that even AIADMK founder M.G. Ramachandran never attempted. The DMK aligned with its old friend Congress and an amalgamation of six political parties entered the poll fray as one alliance projecting themselves as an alternative to the Dravidian parties which have ruled the state alternately since 1967.

Read: Thanjavur poll too postponed

Besides, the PMK is fighting the elections on its own and the BJP is facing the high-stakes poll in alliance with lesser know parties. While the DMK and AIADMK are banking on their traditional party vote bank to emerge victorious in the Assembly elections, the DMDK-PWA-TMC alliance is pinning its hopes on first-time voters and youngsters who they claim want an end to the 50 years of rule of the Dravidian majors. The PMK also claims it has the support of majority of the neutral voters and youngsters besides women.

The major issue that drew the attention of the electorate this election is the promise to implement prohibition by almost all the political parties.