Polling largely peaceful in southern TN till 3 pm

According to Returning Officers from the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies, the polling percentage had almost touched the 50% mark by 3 p.m.

A polling booth near East Masi Street in Madurai wear a deserted look in the early hours of polling owing to the car festival in Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple on April 18, 2019.

Except for a few complaints about errors in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), polling largely progressed on a peaceful note in southern districts of Tamil Nadu.

According to Returning Officers from the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in the south Tamil Nadu - Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari, the polling percentage had almost touched or marginally crossed the 50% mark by 3 p.m.

Errors in machines

Theni Returning Officer M Pallavi Baldev said that steady polling was reported from all six Assembly segments in Theni Parliamentary constituency. There were some teething troubles with a few EVMs, but they were rectified. The large percentage of polling may be attributed to SVEEP activities conducted in the district. The district had also registered 19,153 first time voters in the voter list and 7321 differently abled, she added.

There were complaints from AMMK party functionaries that after pressing the button earmarked for their candidate, the acknowledgement was not forthcoming in the VVPAT in and around a few stations in Andipatti. However, presiding officers said that the machines were tested and display was visible.

At around 11 a.m., there were complaints of non-functioning of EVMs in at least 40 booths in Thoothukudi. Over a period of about an hour, they were replaced, said Sandeep Nanduri, Returning Officer.

The Dindigul constituency recorded 54.33 per cent, said T G Vinay, Returning Officer at 3 p.m. Initially, there were problems in 29 stations, but they were replaced.

In Pallangi Combai, a tribal hamlet in Kodaikanal, the villagers refused to come to the polling station. Till 1 p.m., only two persons had cast their votes. However, after officials held talks and gave assurance to look into their demands, the voting began. In fact, Kodaikanal recorded higher voter turnout during the later part of the day, a zonal officer said and added that workers started returning from the fields.

In Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga constituencies, the polling was peaceful. In many rural pockets, there was brisk polling and long queues despite scorching Sun. In Virudhunagar an 87-year-old differently abled man exercised his franchise. There were complaints of villagers boycotting the poll, but after they were pacified, normalcy prevailed.

The polling percentage which was low in Ramnathapuram and Sivaganga and some parts of Dindigul were attributed to farmers working in fields and that they would come to cast votes after 1 p.m.

In Madurai, pockets around the Meenakshi Temple had complaints of congestion near the polling stations as the Car festival was in progress till 1 p.m. The Election Commission had given polling time till 8 p.m. for Madurai after political parties had made representations.

There were complaints of non-functioning of EVMs for long time in Yadava College for Women, a polling station. After the Returning Officer Natarajan came and supervised, the polling recommenced.

Polling percentage till 3 p.m.

Dindigul: 54.33. Tenkasi: 48.58 Kanniyakumari: 47.06. Tirunelveli: 48.25. Thoothukudi: 51.58, Virudhunagar: 49.06 Theni: 54,92 Madurai: 48.27 Ramanathapuram: 45.49 and Sivaganga: 46.04