Barring minor EVM glitches, voting incident-free in west dists

COIMBATORE: Barring some incidents of glitches in EVMs causing delay in polling and tension among the electorate, the Lok Sabha polls were by and large peaceful in Western Tamil Nadu.

At a polling station in Rasipalayam panchayat in Sulur union in Coimbatore, polling was stopped for over two hours as the name and symbol of candidates were in a different order. After agents of political parties expressed their reservation, polling was stopped for over two hours and resumed around 4.30 pm. The election officials assured that voters will be given an additional three hours due to the issue. In the morning, polling was delayed by one hour in the same booth due to some glitch in EVM.

In another incident, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan, who is contesting in The Nilgiris constituency, said that a complaint will be submitted to the Election Commission against a staff in Kamanaickenpalayam polling station near Annur in Coimbatore on charges of voting for DMK instead of BJP as preferred by 65-year-old Rajamma. She broke into a quarrel after the staff pressed the DMK symbol in the EVM as against her choice of BJP. Condemning the staff, Murugan, who arrived at the booth, declared of raising a complaint to the Election Commission.

Two elderly persons die in polling stations

Meanwhile, two elderly persons died at polling stations, while waiting to cast their votes in Salem on Friday.

N Palanisamy, 65, a retired sanitary worker from Old Suramangalam area, stood in a queue along with his wife Kamala to vote at Corporation Middle School, where he swooned around 10 am. He was immediately rushed to Urban Primary Health Centre, however he died on the way.

Similarly, P Chinnaponnu, 77, from Kondayampalli was brought to the polling booth at Sentharapatti by her son Govindaraj in a wheelchair. As she went to cast her vote, she fainted and subsequently died.