Fate of 950 TN candidates sealed; turnout 69.46%

CHENNAI: A voter turnout of 69.46 per cent was recorded in the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu, which witnessed a fiery three-cornered contest between the fronts led by DMK, AIADMK and BJP. Barring stray incidents, the polling went off peacefully across the State with voters braving the heat to make themselves count.

In the end, however, there was a 3.01 percetage point drop from the State's 72.47% polling in LS polls in 2019.

The polling to the State's 39 Lok Sabha constituencies, with 6.23 crore registered voters, kick-started at 7 am without any hiccups in most of the 68,321 polling stations across Tamil Nadu. At the end of the day, nearly 4.32 crore voters exercised their franchise, accounting for 69.46%.

With 81.48%, Dharmapuri constituency recorded the highest polling percentage. The presence of PMK leader Anbumani’s wife Sowmiya in the Vanniyar-dominant Dharmapuri constituency against DMK’s A Mani and AIADMK’s Dr R Ashokan and the intensified campaign aimed at polarisation on caste lines is one of the reasons attributed for the enhanced voting percentage here.

Kallakuruchi constituency, where DMK’s D Malaiyarasan is pitted against AIADMK’s R Kumaraguru and PMK’s Devadass Ramasamy, recorded the second highest polling percentage of 79.25, followed by Namakkal and Salem with 78.16% and 78.13%, respectively.

However, two constituencies in the State capital – Chennai Central (53.91%) and Chennai South (54.27%)

- continued the dubious record of having the lowest polling percentage, while Chennai North registered 60.13% polling.

Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo told media persons that voters came in good numbers later in the day, taking the toll polling percentage to 69.46%. "This is as fed by the office of the Returning Officers (during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday)," said TN chief electoral officer Satyabrata Sahoo

Those who were inside the polling station before 6 pm were allowed to exercise their democratic right, he added.

In 2019, the State witnessed 72.47% polling when the DMK-led front locked horns with the AIADMK-led NDA. Earlier, little over 73% of electors voted in 2009 and 73.74% voted in 2014.

Meanwhile, a total of 64.54% of electors cast their votes in the byelections to the Vilavancode Assembly constituency, which had four women candidates in the fray. The bypoll was necessitated after former Congress MLA Vijayadharani resigned from the MLA post to join the BJP.