Except for one incident in Thanjavur where three persons were injured in a clash between two groups allegedly belonging to DMK and AIADMK, the first phase of the local body polls passed off peacefully in Thanjavur and Tiruvarur districts.
Polling was brisk in the two districts. K.Baskaran, Thanjavur Collector, said that polling was peaceful in the district except for the clash at ward number 26 in the Thanjavur municipal area. Approximately 70 per cent polling was registered in the district. C.Munianathan, Tiruvarur Collector, said that polling was peaceful in the district and the voter turn out was approximately 71 per cent.
According to the police, the clash in ward number 26 was due to an objection raised by DMK agents at the municipal school booth against a person to cast his vote. AIADMK candidate Rajeswaran, allegedly insisted that he should be allowed to vote for which the DMK candidate Anbalagan objected. This resulted in a clash in which Anbalagan, and two other persons, Gopal and Manohar, were injured.
Anil Kumar Giri, Superintendent of Police, Thanjavur District, rushed to the spot and dispersed the crowd. At Thiruvaiyaru town panchayat, polling was delayed due to non-functioning of four electronic voting machines at Saraswathi aided school
Police had to use mild force to disperse crowd gathered near the polling booth at Pillaiarnatham village in Thanjavur panchayat union.
Polling was brisk in Thanjavur Vadakkuvasal and Karanthai, Ayyampettai, Rajagiri, Kabisthalam, Papanasam, Thiruvaiyaru and Thirukattuppalli. M.Rathnaswamy , Thiruvaiyaru MLA cast his vote at Koothur, near Thirukattupalli. S.S.Palani Manickam, Union Minister of State for Finance cast his vote at Lakshminarayana School at Srinivasapuram.
In the first phase, people exercised their franchise to elect chairpersons and ward members of Thanjavur and Kumbakonam Municipality in Thanjavur district, Koothanallur and Mannargudi Municipality in Tirvarur district, fifteen Town Panchayats and seven Panchayat Unions in Thanjavur district and five panchayat unions and five town panchayats in Tiruvarur district.
Karur
Peaceful polling marked the first phase of the local body elections in the district on Monday. Voters waited in long queues in several polling stations, especially in the urban areas. A lull prevailed 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the booths particularly in rural areas in the afternoon.
A handful of stray incidents where wordy duels ensued among supporters of rival candidates were reported. A technical snag in the electronic voting machine held up polling for about 15 minutes at polling station no. 72 at Gandhigram.
Despite the training and well-oriented preparations ahead of the polls, slight of hand by some officials forced the removal of wall posters displaying the details of the candidates outside the polling booths in Chinnadarapuram and Aravakurichi areas. Concerned candidates and eyewitnesses said that the order of contestants was altered inadvertently and the only way to correct that was peeling off the wall poster altogether, which the officials did.
