CHENNAI: Polling for the by-elections to Madurantakam (SC) and Dharapuram (SC) Assembly constituencies began on a brisk note on Tuesday, where bye-elections are being held amid tight security arrangements.
Madurantakam registered 55.19 percent polling while Dharapuram polled 56.09 percent as per the 1 pm polling percentage announced by the EC.
An election official said the polling stations in both constituencies have been witnessing a steady footfall of voters across various age profiles since morning.
There were some minor technical glitches which the local election officials handled with brief delays at a few booths.
At the Thandarai polling booth in Madurantakam, voting experienced a brief pause after opposition DMK agents protested alleging that indelible ink marks had been placed on the EVM button next to the TVK candidate's "Whistle" symbol, potentially influencing voters.
Election officers quickly inspected the machine, cleared the issue, and resumed polling.
In the Vilvarayanallur polling station (Madurantakam), DMK cadres accused local police of allowing ruling TVK party workers to stand closer to the booth entrance than the distance strictly permitted under the Election Commission Model Code of Conduct.
A few polling stations experienced standard mock-poll delays early in the morning due to minor VVPAT or EVM connection glitches, but these were cleared by standby engineers before official voting gained full momentum.
Despite the isolated and brief interruptions, voter turnout surged dramatically as the day progressed, indicating a strong midday participation.
Long queues of women voters were the defining visual trends outside polling stations in both the rural and semi-urban pockets in the two constituencies.
Polling was progressing peacefully under heavy local police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) surveillance.
As the heat intensified in the afternoon, voting speed slowed and it is likely to pick up post lunch.
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay-led TVK if facing its first electoral battle of legitimacy following government formation in May.
Polling began at 7 a.m and will continue until 6 p.m. At 6 p.m. those who are on the queue will be allowed to vote.
A total of 2,13,788 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in Madurantakam, while 2,23,306 voters are eligible to vote in Dharapuram.
The bye-elections have attracted considerable political attention. It is a five-cornered contest with the ruling TVK, the DMK, the AIADMK, the Left parties and the NTK contesting. The PMK has adopted a neutral stand in this election.
In Madurantakam, 27 candidates are in the fray, while 22 candidates are contesting in Dharapuram.
Counting of votes will be taken up on October 9.
The elections were necessitated due to the resignation of then AIADMK MLAs K Maragatham Kumaravel and P Satyabama from Madurantakam (Chengalpet dt) and Dharapuram (Tiruppur dt) before they joined the ruling TVK. They have been re-nominated. DMK and AIADMK are in the contest in both seats.
Puducherry
Brisk polling was witnessed in the byelection to Thattanchavady Assembly constituency on Tuesday, with over 39 per cent of the voters casting their vote in the first four hours.
Voting percentage stood at 39.16 by 11 am, EC officials said. Polling began at 7 am and is scheduled to go on till 6 pm.
Brisk polling was seen in most of booths in the constituency. Local police central armed police force (CAPF) personnel were on duty at the polling stations. Special arrangements were made for the differently abled persons and also senior citizens to exercise their franchise.
AINRC nominee Ashok Anand is facing the challenge from Congress candidate E Vinayagam and the DMK nominee K Sedhu Selvam.
The bypoll is seen as a test of popularity for the four month-old NDA government led by Chief Minister N Rangasamy, whose resignation from this seat necessitated the electoral exercise. He has retained Mangalam segment, which he had won besides Thattanchavady in the April polls.
(With inputs from Express News Service)