Sixteen out of the 134 polling booths stood out when the bypoll held to the Piravom Assembly constituency on Saturday set a new record of 86.38 per cent in voter turnout.
Four booths in Maneedu panchayat, which topped the list in terms of voter turnout, three booths each in Pambakkuda and Thirumarady panchayats, two booths each in Thiruvankulam and Mulanthuruthy panchayats and one each in Amballoor and Edakkattuvayal panchayats registered a voter turnout of 90 per cent or more as per the provisional data with the Election Commission.
Interestingly, booth number one and four in Thiruvankulam panchayat- identified as sensitive and which were among the 14 such booths chosen for live webcast- were among these booths, with the former topping the list with a voter turnout of 93.50 per cent. Booth number four came fourth with 91.47 per cent.
Booth number 34 in Mulanthuruthy panchayat and booth number 42 in Maneedu panchayats were in the second and third position with a polling per cent of 92.93 per cent and 91.65 per cent. Booth number 89 (91.24 per cent) in Edakkattuvayal panchayat, booth number 113 (91.19 per cent) in Thirumarady, booth number 47 (91.14 per cent) in Maneedu, booth 79 (91.10 per cent) in Amballoor, booth 108 (91.05 per cent) in Thirumarady, and booth number 41 (90.94 per cent), which was another sensitive booth, in Maneedu made up the top ten list.
Overall 91 booths, 68 per cent, out of the total 134 polling booths in the constituency recorded voter turnout of more than 85 per cent. All ten booths in Maneedu, Edakkattuvayal, and Thirumarady panchayats recorded voting in excess of 85 per cent. Twelve out of the 13 booths in Amballoor panchayat witnessed polling in excess of 85 per cent while it was nine out of 12 in Chottanikkara panchayat, seven out of 13 in Mulanthuruthy, six out of 10 in Thiruvankulam and Pambakkuda panchayats and five out of 9 in Ramamangalam panchayat.
In Piravom, the heart of the constituency, polling in only nine out of the 15 booths exceeded that mark whereas in Koothattukulam and Elanji panchayats only five and two booths respectively out of the 10 booths witnessed polling in excess of 85 per cent.
The fact that the voter turnout fell below 80 per cent in only four out of the 134 polling booths pointed at the way the electorate responded to the bypoll.
Booth number 132 in Koothattukulam which recorded 79.98 per cent voter turnout, booth 100 in Piravom with 78.02 per cent, and booths 5 and 11 in Thiruvankulam panchayat, which recorded polling per cent of 78.45 and 78.47 per cent respectively were the only aberrations in the bypoll whereas the rest of the booths passed with “distinction.”
