Braving heat wave and soaring mercury level that was over 41 degree Celsius, 70.54% electors exercised their franchise for the Lok Sabha polls to Erode Parliamentary constituency here on Friday. The voter turnout in the 2019 Lok Sabha election in the constituency was 73.11%.
A total of 15,38,778 electors in the Assembly constituencies of Kumarapalayam, Erode (East), Erode (West), Modakkurichi, Dharapuram and Kangayam were eligible to exercise their franchise. Mock polls began at 5.30 a.m. in all the 1,688 booths in the presence of booth agents as women and men voters, first-time voters and elderly persons turned up in large numbers and waited in queues to cast their votes. Elderly persons, differently-abled persons and pregnant women were given priority to cast their vote. Voter turnout were till 9 a.m. - 12.89%; till 11 a.m. - 28.29%; till 1 p.m. - 43.54%; till 3 p.m. - 55.01%; and till 5 p.m. - 65.13%.
MLA EVKS Elangovan cast his vote at a polling booth in Erode on Friday. | Photo Credit: HANDOUT_E_MAIL
Shamiana was erected at polling booths for ensuring shade to the voters while wheelchairs, ramps, and drinking water facility were made available in most of the booths. District police personnel and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel were deployed in booths and vulnerable stations respectively to ensure peaceful polling throughout the day. The poll process was monitored by micro-observers and web-casting was done.
Women voters being greeted with roses at a model booth in Erode. | Photo Credit: M. GOVARTHAN
District Election Officer and Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara cast his vote at a polling booth at Sampath Nagar. Notable persons who cast their votes were MLAs E.V.K.S. Elangovan and C. Saraswati, contestants K.E. Prakash of DMK, Ashok Kumar of AIADMK, and P. Vijayakumar of Tamil Maanila Congress. Voting ended at 6 p.m. and poll materials were sealed and packed in the presence of booth agents. All the EVMs, VVPATs and other poll materials were being taken in vehicles amid tight security and kept at the strong room at the Government College of Engineering (formerly IRTT) at Chithode, the counting centre.
