Casual elections to ward 35 of the Chennai Corporation Council recorded a turnout of 45 per cent on Thursday.
According to a press release from the Corporation, the turnout of men was higher than that of women, with as many as 12,696 men and 10,615 women voting. The total number of electors in the ward, which covers Kodungaiyur, Erukkanchery and Chinnandimadam, is 51,928. There were 48 polling stations in 12 schools.
According to a press release from CPI (M), the party’s candidate, M. Vasanthakumar, and a few supporters staged a road roko protesting against officials who allegedly failed to prevent booth capturing. The CPI (M) demanded a re-poll for the ward.
Other candidates in the fray include A. David Gnanasekaran of the AIADMK and T.N. Lakshmi Narasimhan of the BJP.
No employer was found contravening a statutory obligation pertaining to an official holiday for the elections, and liquor outlets in the ward remained closed till 5 p.m., the release added.
Counting of votes will be carried out on Monday at the counting centre in Chennai Corporation School, Sharma Nagar.
