Slight tension in Alappuzha; brisk polling continues

November 07, 2009 06:16 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 06:43 am IST - ALAPPUZHA

Party workers being dispersed by police after a scuffle at a polling station in Alappuzha during the assembly by-poll on Saturday. Photo: H. Vibhu

Party workers being dispersed by police after a scuffle at a polling station in Alappuzha during the assembly by-poll on Saturday. Photo: H. Vibhu

Brisk polling is continuing in the Alappuzha Assembly by-poll, though a couple of minor skirmishes were reported from different parts of the constituency.

According to District Collector and Electoral Officer P. Venugopal, 61 per cent of the electorate had turned up at the 104 polling booths by 3 p.m.

Meanwhile, police forces rushed to a polling station near the St. Michael’s School in Thathampally near here after a clash broke out between activists of the CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and

the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). According to sources, an unidentified group arrived on an auto-rickshaw and thrashed the LDF polling agent sitting in a party booth outside the polling station. Enraged LDF activists retaliated by attacking the UDF booth near the school. Three persons are said to have sustained minor injuries in the clash.

Mr. Venugopal said the situation was brought under control with police personnel, led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police rushing to the spot and removing the trouble-makers. Though there were rumours that a Congress councillor was thrashed and had to escape the LDF activists’ ire by seeking refuge in a nearby church, the Collector said the police team on the spot did not get any information on such an incident.

Another minor tiff was reported from a polling station in the Pazhaveedu area. According to witnesses, the argument broke out when Alappuzha MP, K.C. Venugopal, arrived at the station to cast his vote.

LDF activists surrounded him alleging that he was canvassing votes inside the polling station, following which UDF activists took the side of Mr. Venugopal, whose elevation to the Lok Sabha led to the by-poll. However, security forces intervened and dispersed the crowd to bring the situation under control.

Both the LDF and the UDF are viewing the by-poll in the Alappuzha Assembly segment as a prestige issue. While the UDF is aiming at continuing the dominance it has maintained on the constituency through four consecutive victories, the LDF, particularly the Communist Party of India (CPI), is looking to salvage lost pride. The CPI, which has been fielding candidates on behalf of the LDF ever since the constituency was formed, has not been able to taste success here after 1987, when its candidate Rosamma Punnoose won.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.