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Tamil Nadu local body elections HIGHLIGHTS | First phase polling for 27 districts ends

The first phase of the rural local body polls held in 27 districts, covers about 1.30 crores of the six crore voters.
People gathered to cast their vote at government High school in Myleripalayam during the local body election at the outskirts of Coimbatore. (Photo | EPS/U Rakesh Kumar)
People gathered to cast their vote at government High school in Myleripalayam during the local body election at the outskirts of Coimbatore. (Photo | EPS/U Rakesh Kumar)
Online Desk

After eight years, people of Tamil Nadu voted to elect local body representatives on Friday (today). Long queues were seen in many of the polling booths across the state. There were a few stray incidents of violence after a peaceful start to the elections.

The first phase of the rural local body polls held in 27 districts, covers about 1.30 crore of the six crore voters. The second and final phase will be held on December 30. Totally, 2.31 lakh candidates are in the fray for 91,975 posts in rural local bodies in the 27 districts.

In the first phase, 45,336 rural local bodies are going to the polls for 37,830 Village Panchayat Ward member posts and 4,700 Village Panchayat Chairperson’s posts.

Here are the live updates from different polling booths across Tamil Nadu:

Tamil Nadu CM casts his vote

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami along with his family members waited in queue and voted at Siluvampalayam village in Salem district.

Traditional welcome to the voters!

Sticking to old tradition, the people of Therkku Aamur in Madurai district give betel leaves to the voters as they would be selecting the representative of the village. (Photo | EPS/k.k.sundar)

24.08% voter turnout at 11 AM

Till 11 AM, the polling percentage in 27 districts stands at 24.08 per cent, says State Election Commission.

85-year-old arrives in Ambulance to cast her vote in Karur

CM Edappadi K Palaniswami to cast his vote

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami heading towards his Siluvampalayam village from Salem Airport to cast his vote.

Voter turnout at 11 AM

  • 25.67% polling in Perambalur district.

  • 18.90% polling in Ariyalur district.

  • 24.7% polling in Sivaganga district.

  • 13.65% polling in Tiruvannamalai district.

  • 21% polling in Thanjavur district.

  • 22.32% polling in Krishnagiri district.

  • 17.13% polling in Dharmapuri district.

  • 34.8% polling in Tiruchydistrict.

    • State Election Commission on watch

    Staff monitoring the polling process of local body elections, being held at 27 district in tamilnadu, at the office of state selection commission in Chennai on Friday. (Photo | EPS/P Jawahar)

    Minister Vijayabaskar's advise to officials

    Transport minister Vijayabaskar, after casting his vote, advised the officials not to use the ear buds for inking the voter's finger and instead to use the prescribed brush.

    Husband 'key' to wife's victory

    To canvass for the independent candidate Selvi who contests in key symbol for Panchayat Ward Member post in Madurai, her husband Oor Kavalan wore a key garland and sought the people to vote for key symbol.

    Leprosy afflicted woman casts her vote

    Vaanambal, a 85 year old leprosy afflicted woman casts her vote at the booth set up in Pudukkottai district rehabilitation centre, where she is an inmate.

    Cash distribution inside polling booth at Tiruvallur

    Villagers boycott election at Harur block, Dharmapuri

    10.4% voter turnout at 9 AM

    Across Tamil Nadu, 10.4 per cent of votes have been polled till 9 AM in 27 districts where elections to rural local bodies are going on, says State Election Commissioner R Palaniswami.

    Visually challenged voters queue up outside polling booth

    Voter turnout at 9 AM

  • 12% polling in Dharmapuri district.

  • 12.03% polling in Salem district.

  • 6.8% polling in Sivaganga district.

  • 16% polling in Tiruchy district.

  • 7.47% polling in Madurai district.

    • Breakfast first, polling next

    A policeman tries to pacify an arguing voter when polling booth officials were out to have breakfast. "I am yet to have my breakfast, what about me?" asked the voter.

    Senior citizens among early voters

    Women waiting to cast their votes

    Diversity and the local body polls

    This is the first local body election in TN in which 50% of the seats are reserved for women. By simply offering women the opportunity to occupy political space regardless of their background, diversity in representation is already guaranteed. Not enough has changed in the state. But some things certainly have. (READ THE FULL EDITORIAL HERE)

    Ballot box robbery attempt

    MP Thirumavalavan casts his vote at Anganur Panchayat Union Primary School in Ariyalur

    Kathiripatti Panchayat polls for Village Panchayat President post rescheduled to 30 December

  • The polling for the president post in Kathripatti panchayat in Pappireddipatti block in Dharmapuri district has been rescheduled to 30.12.2019 after over 170 voters cast votes in wrong ballot sheets

  • Sub collector M Prathap said that the polling officer failed to notice the wrong ballots leading to the confusion

  • Nine people contested for the Village Panchayat president post but the ballot sheet only had five candidates names and symbols.

  • As the 170 casted votes cannot be cancelled, the elections have been rescheduled the election on 30.12.2019

  • Elections for Village Panchayat Ward Members, Panchayat Union Ward Members and District panchayat elections carried on unhindered

    • Polling ends for local body elections in 27 districts, those in queue issued tokens

    Polling comes to an end for the first phase of elections to Rural Local Bodies in 27 districts; those who were in queue at 5 p.m have been issued tokens and they will be allowed vote.

    Only 1 out of 40 transgender votes has been cast in Cuddalore district

    Voter turnout - 3 PM Update

    57.50% votes have been polled in 27 districts in the TN Rural Body Elections till 3 PM

    Karur: 61.48%

    Namakkal: 66%

    Tiruvannamalai: 51.31%

    Krishnagiri: 58.50%

    Dharmapuri: 52.39%

    Tiruchy: 61.4%

    Tirupur: 56.69%

    Ramanathapuram: 55.51%

    Virudhunagar: 57.25%

    Sivaganga: 62.4%

    Salem: 62.96%

    Theni: 62%

    Perambalur: 61.09%

    Ariyalur: 55.8%

    Pudukottai: 62.34%

    Erode: 58.89%

    Madurai: 58.53%

    Voters dropped off in AIADMK vehicles in Cuddalore Panchayat Union

    Two wards, one booth

    Voters in Thiruvur Panchayat of Tiruvallur district complain of long wait to cast vote as voting for two wards has been kept in one booth.

    WATCH | Panchayat president post auctioned, allege Dalit members of a Perambalur village settlement, boycott polls

    Overall voter turnout - 1 PM Update

    42.47% votes have been polled in 27 districts in the Tamil Nadu rural Local Body Elections till 1 PM

    District-wise voter Turnout at 1 pm

    Salem: 44.18%

    Pudukkottai: 47.40%

    Madurai: 45.91%

    Thanjavur: 39%

    Tiruvarur: 48%

    Virudhunagar: 44%

    Perambalur: 44.43%

    Ariyalur: 34.21%

    Voter ID goof-up!

    A 43-year-old woman was not allowed to vote as her voter ID has a photograph of a male. The woman, Amaravathi, alleges that she has been applying for correction for the 15 years and also has been voting with same ID in previous elections.

    Voter turnout at 1 PM

    50.02% polling in Karur district
    40.36 % polling in Cuddalore district
    43 % polling in Tirupur district
    33.85 % polling in Tiruvannamalai district

    Police detain voters at Tiruvallur district

    WATCH | Tamil Nadu votes in rural local body polls!

    CM Palaniswami goes back to ballot days

    Violence in Tiruvallur

    First reports of violence are coming as polling booth gets vandalised in at Papparambakkam Panchayat, Tiruvallur district.

    Alleged booth capturing in Tiruvallur

    Tamil Nadu
    DMK
    AIADMK
    Madurai
    Local body elections
    Coimbatore
    Stalin
    CM Palaniswami

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