Heavy polling was registered in the Kollam Lok Sabha constituency as voters came out in large numbers to exercise their franchise on Thursday.
As per tentative figures available at 8 p.m., the constituency recorded 71.9 polling. In 2009, the constituency registered 67.78 per cent polling.
Pathumuthu Shahul, 114, the oldest voter in the State (perhaps, in the country too) exercised her franchise at the Ambalamkunnu Anganwadi polling station, coming under the Pathanapuram Assembly segment of the Mavelikara Lok Sabha constituency, shortly after noon. Mild tension was witnessed at the Punalur Government Boys HSS polling station where about 130 reserved polling duty officers earmarked for the Pathanapuram Assembly segment under Mavelikara Lok Sabha constituency and for the Punalur segment under the Kollam Lok Sabha constituency were not issued their election duty certificates (EDC) and voting slips to enable them vote.
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They have been on reserve duty since Wednesday and only with the EDC and voting slip they can vote in a polling booth coming under the assembly segment where they have been deployed on duty. By 12 noon, about 50 of them were issued the EDC and those who have to vote in the Pathanapuram segment were taken by a special bus. But over half of them could not vote. It also led to a showdown between the Forest and Revenue department officials on duty there who tried to pass the buck on each other.
Large queues were seen in front of all polling stations in the district during the morning and evening hours. By 10 a.m., most of the polling stations reported 20 per cent polling.
The polling percentage recorded at 5.30 p.m. – at Karunagapally 75.8 per cent, Chavara 75.9 per cent, Kunnathur 73.3 per cent, Kottarakara 70.7 per cent, Pathanapuram 69.7 per cent, Punalur 70.1 per cent, Chadayamangalam 69.9 per cent, Kundara 73.6 per cent, Kollam 71.9 per cent, Eravipuram 70.5 per cent, and Chathannur 70.3 per cent.
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