Voting started off at a slow pace on Saturday, but picked up towards the end of the day, with 58.82 per cent of votes being cast till 5 p.m. People, who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently recuperating, were then allowed to vote between 5 p.m and 6 p.m.
Voter turnout at the four municipalities was at 62.92 per cent, while it stood at 55.74 per cent in the 11 town panchyats.
Around 60 per cent of eligible male voters and 57.48 per cent of female voters cast their votes on Saturday.
Members of various tribal communities, including the Todas and the Kotas also turned out in polling booths in villages near Udhagamandalam and Kotagiri towns to cast their vote. As most of the polling booths were within the confines of the major towns in the district, the assistance of the Forest Department was not required to prevent any problematic interactions with wildlife on the way to polling booths.
Police presence was also strengthened across the district, with around 1,100 police personnel being deployed.. Both District Revenue Officer Keerthi Priyadarshin, as well as election observer for the district, A.R. Gladstone Pushparaj inspected polling booths across the district. No major law and order issues were reported in any of the polling booths in the district.
