No major incident was recorded on Saturday’s rural local body ordinary election held in a few places in the district.
The only incident that was reported was towards the close of polls in Kariyampalayam, near Annur, where a woman was alleged to have impersonated another woman voter at the behest of a political party functionary.
Official sources said that the were inquiring into the incident.
The poll began around 7 a.m. in a district panchayat ward – Ward 3 (Annur), two village panchayats for president – Thenkumarapalayam in Pollachi South Panchayat Union and Diwanshapudur in Anamalai Panchayat Union, and 10 panchayat ward members’ post in as many panchayats. Fifty-one candidates were in the fray and 77,104 voters were to cast their votes.
The district administration, based on instruction from the State Election Commission, had made elaborate arrangements for the polls and ensured that the COVID-19 safety guideline was followed.
The booth officials handed over a pair of gloves to every voter who turned up to vote and ensured that the polling booths were not crowded. The voting took time as voters had to cast votes using ballot papers.
Right since the morning, polling was brisk in a majority of the 128 booths, sources said.
At the close of polls at 6 p.m., 27,552 of the 37,240 male voters and 28,127 of the 39,862 female voters had exercised their franchise. Of the two third-gender voters, one had cast vote. In total, 72.21% voters had exercised their franchise.
The officials would be taking the ballot boxes from the panchayats to the respective panchayat union offices for counting. The ballot boxes used in the district panchayat ward member election would be taken to a local school, where counting would take place on October 12.
Staff Reporter adds from Udhagamandalam: By-elections in three wards in the Nilgiris in Gudalur panchayat union and Kotagiri were held on Saturday.
In Gudalur panchayat union, by-elections for the post of panchayat union councillor were held in Ward 4 (Masinagudi) and Ward 11 (Cherangode), while in Kotagiri, elections were held for the post of village panchayat councillor in Ward 4 of Naduhatty panchayat.
A total of 14,143 persons cast their votes in the 13 polling booths.
