KOTTAYAM: Despite the high-decibel campaign by the major fronts, the voter turnout in Tuesday’s Puthuppally bypoll hovered marginally below that in the previous election. As per the records of the Election Commission, the provisional polling percentage was 72.91, the lowest in 10 years.
The polling percentage in the 2021 assembly election was 74.90%. The final figure of polling is likely to change after the final compilation of the election data. Of the total 1,76,417 voters in the constituency, 1,28,624 execised their voting rights, of which 64,084 were male, 64,538 female, and two were transgender persons.
Though the initial hours witnessed brisk polling recording 20.34% at 10 am and passing 50% by 2 pm, the turnout of voters came down in the afternoon session. A large number of voters lined up in front of polling booths to exercise their democratic right shortly after the polling began at 7 am. LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas had to wait nearly an hour in the queue at the polling booth set up at Government LP School, Kaniankunnu, in Manarcad. He arrived at the booth around 7.50 am and could cast his vote only by 8.52 am.
UDF candidate Chandy Oommen, along with his mother Mariyamma Oommen and sisters Maria Oommen and Achu Oommen, cast their votes at Georgian Public School, Puthuppally, by 9.30 am. Cooperation Minister V N Vasavan voted at MGM HS, Pampady, by 9.30 am. A native of Kaduthuruthi assembly constituency, NDA candidate G Lijin Lal didn’t have a vote in Puthuppally.
Barring a slight altercation between UDF and LDF followers in front of a polling booth in Kooroppada, the polling was peaceful in the constituency. Meanwhile, some technical faults with the electronic voting machines caused delays in polling at various booths.
As some voters returned without casting their votes following a long queue at booth number 88 in Manarcad, Chandy Oommen lodged a complaint with district election officer and collector V Vigneswari. Meanwhile, the collector dismissed any technical fault with the EVM and said the reason for the delay in the polling will be examined.
Meanwhile, slips were given to all voters who were present on the premises of the booth at 6 am, to cast their votes. The polling was completed in the booth by 6.50 pm. The by-election was necessitated following the demise of Oommen Chandy, who was the legislator from Puthuppally for 53 years. As the election turned into a fierce political battle, the UDF, LDF and NDA had engaged in intense campaigning during the past three-and-a-half weeks.