THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Brisk voting was reported in the initial hours of polling in the first phase of local body election in the state on Tuesday. Five districts - Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Idukki - are voting on Tuesday. This is the first election to be held in the state amid the COVID pandemic.
Voting began at 7 am with long queues of voters seen even before polling began. The voter turnout at around 9.30 AM was: Thiruvananthapuram - 14.54 per cent, Kollam - 16.08 per cent, Pathanamthitta - 16.88 per cent, Alappuzha - 16.74 per cent and Idukki - 15.33 per cent.
Technical snag was reported in EVMs in five booths in Alappuzha, two booths in Thiruvananthapuram and one in Kollam. This led to polling being suspended in these booths for a brief period as personnel were called in to rectify the snag.
In Alappuzha, the presiding officer expelled the chief agent of an independent candidate after he canvassed vote in polling station.
Minister Kadakampally Surendran and Suresh Gopi MP were among those who cast their votes in the first hour of polling in Thiruvananthapuram. Suresh Gopi exuded confidence that BJP would wrest Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. State Election Commissioner V Bhaskaran was also among the first voters.
In Kollam, Lok Sabha MP NK Premachandran and DDC president Bindu Krishna were among those who reached the polling booths in the first hour after the voting began. "The UDF is hopeful that it would be able to put up a good performance this term compared to last term's local body election," said Premachandran.
Polling progresses in a slow pace in the hilly district of Idukki which usually records good voter turnout in local body polls.