The scorching heat notwithstanding, polling went on in a brisk pace across the Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday.
Although long queues could not be seen in most places, there was a steady stream of voters at the polling booths right through the day, ultimately leading to a big turn out. The young and the old came out in large numbers to exercise their franchise. As usual, the turn out of voters was high in the rural areas rather than in Tiruchi city.
Within the first two hours, 16.2 per cent of the 13,86,377 voters in the constituency had cast their votes. The polling percentage rose to 46 by 1 p.m. and touched 60 by 3 p.m.
The election passed off peacefully in the constituency but for a few minor incidents. Polling was suspended for about half-an-hour at a booth at Thondaiman Oorani village near Adhanakottai following a quarrel between two booth agents of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and India Jananayaga Katchi.
The trouble started an hour ahead of the close of the polling, between the agents P. Veerabahu (DMK) and C. Rajasekaran (IJK) over an alleged attempt of impersonation. Veerabahu allegedly attacked Rajasekaran with stones, injuring him. Rajasekaran was rushed to Thanjavur Medical College Hospital.
The police said Veerabahu was later arrested. Senior officials rushed to the booth and ensured resumption of polling.
The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam candidate A.M.G. ijaykumar alleged that some AIADMK members were issuing booth slips with the party symbol near the polling station at East Renga School in Srirangam.
There were some complaints of names of voters being deleted at some places. A. hoodamani (76) of East Chithirai Street in Srirangam gave vent to her ire at officials after being told that her name was not found in the voters list. “I have voted in the last election and despite holding valid identity, I am being denied my right to vote,” she said.
Yasin Ahmed of Cauvery Nagar also gave vent to his anger publicly after being told that his and the names of two other family members were not in the voters list. M. Raja of Yanaikatti Maidan, who had recently shifted from the Old Post Office Road in the city, said his name was missing from the electoral rolls although he had applied for change of address and holds the acknowledgement for the same.
Glitches in electronic voting machines delayed the start of the polling by up to 30 minutes in about dozen polling booths, including the model polling station at Subramaniapuram in the city.
Although the EVMs had the names and parties of the candidates in Braille, several visually challenged persons who cast their votes at St. Joseph’s School at Nagamangalam said they cast the votes with the help of assistants. “Not all of us are literate and most of us do not know to read using the Braille ballot paper,” said Arjunan, a visually challenged person. Visually challenged persons from Nagamangalam Housing Unit and Gandhi Nagar said they had to cast their votes at the school about two km away from their residences.
