Urban local body elections held peacefully: DGP Silenthra Babu

In the Western region, barring some minor incidents of arguments and protests over distribution of cash to voters, the day was largely incident-free.

The exercise in Coimbatore, which was keenly watched amidst demands by AIADMK MLAs’ to deploy paramilitary forces to quell irregularities, passed off without any major incident.

For a while, tension prevailed as candidates of AIADMK, BJP and MNM locked up over 300 people inside a marriage hall in Ramanathapuram following allegations of cash distribution by DMK men in ward 63 in Coimbatore. BJP candidate Kavitha Rajan alleged that her complaint with officials of the election department evoked no response. 

In Salem, DMK workers staged a road blockade protest in Alachampalayam in Edappadi demanding police to release a party functionary, identified as Ganesan (38), who was detained for picking up an argument with Superintendent of Police M Sree Abhinav.

Delta region also the polling activity was same as in other regions. Here too voter turnout was less in urban pockets while it was brisk in rural areas.

Except for a few minor issues, polling went off smoothly almost in all the districts in the region. Tension gripped Periyamilaguparai coming under ward No 54 of Tiruchy City Corporation where the DMK, AIADMK and independents candidates vied with each other in wooing the voters at the entrance, but police intervened and dispersed the cadre. Meanwhile, a senior citizen voter identified as M Arumugam (67) of Gandhi Nagar died while waiting in the queue to cast his vote for ward 61 at Corporation High School near Airport Airport police registered a case and are investigating.

The scene was similar in integrated Vellore and Tiruvannamalai district also where polling was peaceful.

A political observer, on condition of anonymity, said “When more people vote in assembly elections for candidates whom they do not know, why they are reluctant to come to the booths to vote for candidates whom they know. The reason must be frustration with the present day politics/politicians.” Minister Duraimurugan, talking to the media after casting his vote at Gandhinagar in Katpadi, claimed that it was fear of failure, which made the opposition parties and rivals create problems in polling booths.

It was a peaceful day in southern districts too, but for a few issues concerning EVMs and minor clashes. After casting his vote in a booth at Chokkikulam, Madurai, Minister for Finance and Human Resources Management, PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan rubbished the concept of ‘One nation, one election’, citing it as farcical. In Sivaganga district, tension prevailed for a brief while in a booth at ward 14 of Sivaganga as the AIADMK cadre objected to DMK men moving close to the booth.

An elderly woman identified as Govindammal aged around sixty, came to the polling station at Srivilliputhur in Virudhunagar district in an ambulance and cast her vote.