The by-election in the Attipra ward of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation recorded 67.5 per cent polling, with voters who had exercised their franchise in the Lok Sabha elections just about a month back coming out in large numbers again on Thursday. But the voting percentage would have gone up by close to 20 percentage points had the voters’ list been updated.
Out of a total of 5,139 voters in the ward, 3,469 voted in the by-election. But the voters’ list, which was reportedly last updated almost a decade back, had the names of a large number of those who had shifted out of the area or were dead. “The voters’ list for the local body elections is given by the Local Self Government Department to the State Election Commission. So, any updating has to be done by them,” said Returning Officer R. Baiju.
The polling percentage though is an improvement on the last time, when it was 62 per cent. The polling picked up early in the morning as many opted to cast their votes before going for work. By 10 a.m., the polling percentage had touched 26. A large posse of policemen were posted in the vicinity of all the five booths. No untoward incident was reported through the day. But minor incidents delayed polling in two booths. At the Aathmabodhini library in Arasummoodu, the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) failed to function. Voting was held up for half an hour and had to be continued with a backup EVM.
At the booth inside the Attipra village office, the Corporation Council’s Opposition leader Johnson Joseph protested in the morning saying that the ink used for marking the fingers of voters could be rubbed off. Polling officials proved the authenticity of the ink in his presence, after which voting continued.
The counting will be held at the Collectorate Conference Hall at 8 a.m. on Friday. The result will be crucial for the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), as it will decide the party’s power to pass major resolutions in the council on its own strength.
Poll percentage In the by-polls to various local bodies in the district held on Thursday, the Chembakaramanthura ward in the Karinkulam grama panchayat witnessed maximum polling with 72.9 per cent. In the Navayikkulam division of the Thiruvananthapuram grama panchayat 32 per cent polling was registered.
The Ottur division in Varkala block registered 58.6 per cent polling.
