The heightened campaigning by mainstream political parties resulted in Kozhikode and Vadakara recording a high voter turnout.
According to the final figures issued by the Chief Electoral Officer, the turnout in Kozhikode and Vadakara were 81.47 and 82.48 respectively. Despite the sweltering sun and faulty electronic voting machines, voters, especially women, turned up in large numbers to exercise their franchise.
Kozhikode district also had the distinction of having two legislators contesting the polls. LDF candidate A. Pradeep Kumar, representing Kozhikode North in the Assembly, is taking on two-time MP M.K. Raghavan of the UDF in Kozhikode. K. Muraleedharan of the UDF and P. Jayarajan of the LDF are locked in an intense battle in Vadakara.
In the 2014 elections, the voter turnout in Kozhikode and Vadakara were 79.77% and 81.21% respectivel. Usually, the two constituencies record a substantially higher polling percentage.
A break-up of the polling percentage in the seven Assembly segments each in both the parliamentary seats also reveals a few interesting facts. Perambra in the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency recorded the highest polling of 84.58%.
The turnout in all the Assembly segments was above 80%, barring Kozhikode North and Kozhikode South, indicating urban apathy to voting. Polling in these segments were 78.24 % and 78.46% respectively.
Polling recorded in the remaining five Assembly segments in Kozhikode are: Balussery - 82.6%; Elathur - 83.29%; Beypore - 80.32%; Kunnamangalam - 84.4%, and Koduvally - 81.4%.
The voter turnout in Vadakara was: Thalassery - 80.33%, Koothuparamba - 81.44%, Vadakara - 83.02%; Kuttiyadi - 84.14%; Nadapuram - 82.71%; Koyilandy - 81%, and Perambra - 84.58%.
As expected, women voters showed their strength in all the Assembly segments in the two constituencies. They may, many believe, play a swing factor in the outcome of the polls.
The difference in the total number of male and female voters was more than 10,000 in all Assembly segments in Vadakara. But it was below 10,000 in the Assembly segments in Kozhikode. Eighteen transgenders voted in Vadakara and 15 in Kozhikode.
