The polling percentage at 3 p.m. in the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in southern Tamil Nadu stood at 60 per cent. While the polling percentage in Ramanathapuram was 58.39, it was 64.30 per cent in Dindigul Lok Sabha constituency.
The ten Lok Sabha constituencies are Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Tenkasi, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari respectively.
Except for a poll boycott call in a Dalit village in Dindigul Lok Sabha constituency for about 2 hours, by and large, there was peaceful polling in the southern districts, poll officials said.
Prominent members including P. Chidambaram, H. Raja, Pon Radhakrishnan, Vaiko and M.K. Alagiri cast their votes in the respective polling stations.
In a brief comment, Mr. Alagiri said, “we will win in this electoral battle,” He had repeatedly voiced his anger over the choice of candidates in the DMK party and said that the DMK would be pushed to third or fourth place.
The MDMK leader Vaiko told reporters in Kalingapatti that for the first time, people have chosen the BJP as an alternative in Tamil Nadu instead of voting for the DMK and AIADMK. This is a great beginning.
Union Minister P. Chidambaram hoped that the youth votes are significantly going to be polled in favour of the Congress. The imposition of 144 Cr Pc was intended only for the opposition, which was violated by the AIADMK, he alleged and pointed that media reports indicated that only one party indulged in bribing voters, in an apparent reference to the AIADMK.
There was brisk polling in many of the rural pockets in the southern districts. Many first time voters who came to the polling stations very early, cast their votes and were seen elated.
Inspector General and Commissioner of Police (Madurai City) Sanjay Mathur told The Hindu that, there was peaceful polling across the constituency till 3 p.m.. There were some complaints of technical snag in the EVMs in some booths, which were set right.
