LS polls: Over 70% polling in south TN, floods don’t seem to have dented voters’ zeal

CHENNAI: Near normal polling percentage in the southern districts battered by recent floods has baffled the critics and politicians alike, as expectations that voters in the affected districts would vent their ire at the political class by voting in big numbers or largely abstain from the polling booths to register their disaffection, have turned out to be false.

At 7 pm Thursday, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari recorded around 70% polling, which shows no jump or slide. The voting percentage is considered decent, similar to what was polled in the last Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

Despite the trend in south Tamil Nadu, there was a jump in polling in two of the three Chennai constituencies. The Chennai South constituency saw around 10% rise, up from 59% in 2019 to 67.82% this occasion. Chennai Central's voting percentage jumped from 60% to 67%. Chennai North and Sriperumbudur constituencies had similar polling in the recent LS polls, around 67%. This makes it even.

The state ruling party has taken the voting percentage as a cue that they have managed to ‘surmount’ the outrage of the people in the immediate aftermath of the floods. DMK leaders interpreted the consistency in the voting pattern, with an exception to Chennai South, of the flood-hit districts as the success of the Rs 6,000 per family flood relief assistance disbursed and swift relief works undertaken by the state government.

"People are aware that the state government engaged in relief works to its best, despite limited financial resources at its disposal, and that too without receiving a single paise from the Union government. That is why the people who suffered hardships a few months ago have turned up in good numbers like the previous elections. Voters are frustrated with the fact that the BJP-led Union government refused to provide relief assistance to the state in the face of the worst floods hitting the livelihood of the people. Worse, the BJP even justified the act of washing its hands on the suffering public," reasoned a DMK senior overseeing the electioneering works.

It’s too early to guess as we have to wait for June 4 for the results, to take stock of the significance of the polling percentage. The opposition on the contrary has argued that the turnout shows people’s anger over the kind of relief work executed by the state government. They point out a 10% increase in Chennai South constituency polling and around 6% increase in Chennai Central to bolster their arguments.