Peaceful and incident-free polling took place in the byelection held in Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency on Wednesday.
Marking a slight dip from the general election of 2014, the constituency registered 70.41% voter turnout when polling closed at 6 p.m.
All voters who reached the polling station by 6 p.m. were allowed to exercise their franchise. The polling percentage is likely to go up slightly as the final tabulations were still on.
The death of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) president E. Ahamed on February 1 after he collapsed in Parliament necessitated the byelection in Malappuram.
Although the polling started at 7 a.m. on a brisk note, it witnessed a lull around midday. But the momentum picked up again in the afternoon with voters turning up in groups.
According to the figures released by the election authorities, 70.41% of the 1.3 million voters exercised their franchise to elect a successor for Ahamed.
IUML general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty is the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate, marking his maiden attempt for Parliament. He is taking on Left Democratic Front (LDF)’s M.B. Faisal and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s N. Sreeprakash.
As much as 8% votes were cast in the first hour of polling. A dozen-odd faulty electronic voting machines were replaced across the constituency.
About 2,500 security personnel, including three companies of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), were deployed to ensure peaceful voting in 1,175 polling stations. As many as 5,640 polling officials
were on duty in the constituency consisting of seven Assembly segments: Perinthalmanna, Mankada, Manjeri, Malappuram, Kondotty, Vengara and Vallikkunnu.
Mr. Kunhalikutty cast his vote at CKMM ALP School, Panakkad, along with IUML State president Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal. Party district president Sayed Sadikali Shihab Thangal, Muslim Youth League
State president Sayed Munawwarali Shihab Thangal and his brother Sayed Basheerali Shihab Thangal accompanied them.
BJP candidate N. Sreeprakash cast his vote at GMLP School, Vettikkattil, Pandikkad. LDF candidate M.B. Faisal did not have a vote in the Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency.
Mr. Kunhalikutty and Mr. Thangal exuded confidence to improve the party’s majority in its citadel.
CPI(M) leader T.K. Hamza, who had given one of the biggest shocks for the IUML by defeating its candidate K.P.A. Majeed in Manjeri in 2004, however, did not sound confident of repeating such a feat.
Mr. Hamza said the margin of the winner would be thin. BJP leaders too claimed that they would greatly improve their position in Malappuram from the last general election.
Ahamed had won from Malappuram by a margin of 1.94 lakh votes in 2014.
When he secured 51.27% votes, the vote share of LDF candidate P.K. Sainaba was only 28.46%. BJP’s Mr. Sreeprakash had secured 7.58% votes in 2014.
The counting of votes will take place on April 17 at Government College, Malappuram.
