Nearly 12 lakh voters cast their ballot in the first six hours of polling in Malappuram district when its three-tier civic bodies went to polls on Monday.
At 1 p.m., the district registered 46 per cent polling. Malappuram has the largest number of voters in the State (25.83 lakh).
Polling to 100 grama panchayats, 15 block panchayats, seven municipalities and the district panchayat of Malappuram began at 7 a.m. on a brisk note with men and women forming long queues outside 4,080 polling booths across the district.
The district registered 20 per cent polling by 10 a.m.
About two million voters are expected to cast their votes in the district to decide the fate of 8,072 candidates contesting in 2439 wards.
As many as eight DySPs, 40 circle inspectors, 767 sub-inspectors and assistant sub-inspectors, and 3,500 police constables have been deployed in the district. Besides, ex-service personnel, and NCC cadets above 18 years of age are on duty.
Police personnel have been deployed in 175 groups to man the 4,080 polling booths. There are 14 groups of security personnel in Tirur police station limits alone.
One security group each is taking care of 15 to 30 polling booths. As many as 254 booths in the district have been identified sensitive. The Election Commission has identified 50 vulnerable polling stations in the district. They are spread in 15 panchayats and the municipalities of Ponnani and Manjeri. More security personnel are on duty at the vulnerable polling booths.
