April 25 – Maintaining a brisk pace from the start, the polling percentage crossed the 73 per cent mark in the single-phase Lok Sabha elections to 39 constituencies in Tamil Nadu on Thursday.
According to electoral authorities, nearly 62 per cent of the 5.50 crore voters exercised their democratic right by 3 pm in a trouble-free environs.
Dharmapuri (71 per cent) was ahead followed by Karur and Kallakurichi at 69.4 per cent and 66.9 per cent, respectively.
However, the turnout in the three constituencies in this metropolis appeared to taper after a brisk start.
While Chennai North recorded 50.4 per cent turnout, Chennai South, which has highest number of 42 candidates in fray, and Central Chennai recorded 49.3 per cent and 48.55 per cent polling, respectively.
Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, DMK President M Karunanidhi, DMDK founder Vijayakant, MDMK leader Vaiko, D Raja and D Pandian of CPI, actors Rajnikanth, Kamal Haasan, Ajith Kumar, Vijay and Jiiva were among the prominent personalities who cast their votes.
Emerging from the polling station after casting her vote, Jayalalithaa appealed to the voters and political parties to cooperate with the Election Commission for free, fair and peaceful polls.
In the battle for ballots, the fate of 845 candidates including 2G scam-accused Dayanidhi Maran and A Raja of DMK, Congress nominees Karti P Chidambaram and Mani Shankar Aiyar, AIADMK’s sitting MP M Thambidurai, besides those of BJP, DMDK and PMK will be decided by the voters.
Though the poll scene presents a multi-cornered battle, the actual contest is between ruling AIADMK and DMK besides the BJP-led six-party alliance, which is trying to throw up challenge to the two dravidian outfits.
Electoral authorities forced five companies, found functioning in an IT park in the city violating its directive to declare a holiday, to close down and lodged a formal complaint with the police against them.
Technical glitches in Electronic Voting Machines held up polling briefly in several polling booths across the state, according to reports receive.
-India Today
