As the polling officially ended in Kerala by 6 pm, the state has witnessed around 73.06 per cent voter turnout. However, there would be marginal change in the total turnout as the election commission has given slip to the voters waiting in the queue at 6 pm, who will be given chance to exercise their franchise although the polling time is over.
In short, less than two crore voters exercised their franchise in Kerala when the state voted for 20 Parliamentary constituencies on Tuesday. Similarly, higher voter turnout was recorded in almost all constituencies except Malappuram and Ponnani in the state that went to polls in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections, which were marred by sporadic incidents EVM glitches in the morning.
Though one of the star attractions of the polling was the candidature of AICC president Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad constituency, which registered the second highest turnout of 76.21 per cent till 6 pm, the nearest Kannur constituency, the headquarter of the ruling CPM, recorded the highest voter turnout of 78.16 per cent till 6 pm.
It is essentially a fight between LDF and UDF in majority of the constituencies, although the BJP led NDA showcasing a spirited triangular fight in around four constituencies. The lowest turnout was reported in Ponnani constituency with 68.31 per cent, poll officials said. The officials who gave the polling percentage as of 6 PM said it was likely to go up.