KOCHI: Nearly six hours into polling, people are coming out to vote in large numbers in Thrissur, Palakkad, Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts. All these districts in central Kerala have registered over 40 percent polling by 12.30 pm.
At a polling booth in Kochi where actor Mammootty came to cast his vote, heated arguments took place between voters and fans of the actor who crowded the entrance to catch a glimpse of him.
Mammootty and his wife cast their votes at Christ King Girl's school in Ponnurruny. In the local body polls held in December 2020, Mammootty couldn't cast his vote as the actor's name was missing in the voter's list.
Though there are 27 transgender voters in Ernakulam district, only five had cast their votes till 1 pm.
An incident of bogus voting was reported at Vypeen when a voter found that someone else had already cast his ballot. The maximum number of male votes have been polled in Tripunithura constituency (48.76 percent at 1 pm) followed by Angamaly (47.6 percent). The least number of male votes have been polled in Ernakulam constituency (41.77 percent). Kunnathunadu constituency, where Twenty20 is putting up a tight fight against the LDF and UDF, has registered the highest voter turnout of 43.55 percent in Ernakulam district at 1 pm.
Kochi constituency where former Mayor Tony Chammany, who is in quarantine for one week after he tested positive for COVID-19, is contesting on a UDF ticket has recorded the least voter turnout of 37.90 per cent at 1 pm.
At Udumbamchoola in Idukki district, BJP workers blocked a group of 13 persons who came from Tamil Nadu. The BJP workers alleged that the group had come to cast bogus voting. Police have taken the 13 persons into custody.