From murder to boycotts, dists abuzz on polls

It was a repeat of 2014 polls when not a single vote from the village in Naralapalli Panchayat was polled protesting the absence of basic infrastructure.

The people here had announced their decision to boycott 2016 assembly polls, but gave up the protest after assurance from political leaders on laying roads and providing piped drinking water. As the promise was not kept, they resorted to poll boycott this time.

According to the villagers more than 10 pregnant women died in recent years as they could not be taken to hospitals, and that the youth here could not pursue education.

Similarly, people from Venkitapuram near Palladam in Tirupur, too, boycotted protesting the setting up of an electric crematorium in their neighbourhood. Despite efforts by officials, only 100 out of the total 1,091 voters turned up to vote.

Meanwhile, Namakkal witnessed brisk polling right from the morning, recording 78 per cent (the highest in Tamil Nadu), while Coimbatore (63.81 per cent) recorded the lowest among districts in Western Tamil Nadu.

Polling went off peacefully without any major law and order issues in the region. However, voting was delayed in several constituencies due to snag in EVMs.

Brisk polling was witnessed across the central districts, including Thanjavur despite the car festival held at Tiruvaiyaru temple. 

Technical glitches were reported in as many as 30 places in Thanjavur district. In several places, the people had to wait for more than an hour to cast their vote. As bypolls to the Thanjavur and Tiruvarur assembly constituencies were held along with the Lok Sabha polls, the voters exercised their franchise at two ballot units in the same polling booth.

In Tiruchy, peaceful polling was witnessed and the people came for voting enthusiastically in the morning hours. Meanwhile, the voters created ruckus in Deverayaneri, a Narikurava settlement, as after they reportedly received information about money distribution in other areas. They said they wouldn’t vote until they received money. However, they were pacified by the officials and made to vote.

In Thanjavur, the police resorted to lathi-charge after several supporters of political parties tried to enter the polling booth at the Corporation middle school booth in Palliagraharam. According to the police, the crowd did not disperse even after several warnings. 

A few members were also detained for questioning, said the police. Meanwhile, members from political parties were found canvassing for voters outside the entrance of the booth at St Peters HSS. Following this, police and the para military personnel rushed to the spot and cautioned them.

In Perambalur, the polling officials faced difficulties in setting up the instrument initially, so the exercise had a delayed start, said sources.

Except the murder of a DMK functionary and a few minor incidents, polling in southern districts was by and large peaceful on Thursday. M S Pandian, a 46-year-old lawyer and a DMK functionary, who came to a polling station at Nagupillai Thoppu, was confronted by a group of armed men, who had covered their faces with a cloth. Sensing trouble, Pandian started running for his life, but the group chased and hacked him to death. 

Among other thing, glitches in EVMs were reported from some areas. As far as the turnout was concerned, voters came to the polling booths early to escape the heat. As a result, many places witnessed brisk polling in the first half which came down gradually as hours passed.  Meanwhile, more than 400 families from Muthuvakudi and Central Station and tribal villages near Bodi boycotted the polls demanding basic facilities in their areas. At Balasamudram village near Andipatti in Theni district polling was disrupted after agents of a few political parties raised objections saying that the votes cast at the time of mock polling were not deleted.  

In Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha constituency, several fishermen were irked after finding out that their names were missing in the electoral rolls. According to Fr. Churchill, General Secretary, South Asian Fishermen Fraternity, names of nearly 20,000 voters, who were residents of coastal villages, vanished from the voters’ list.