THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala recorded an average voter turnout of 73.58% in the legislative assembly election held on Tuesday. In the previous assembly election in 2016, the voter turnout was 77.35%.
A 60-year-old man collapsed and died during an LDF-UDF clash at Pathiyankara near Haripad in Alappuzha district. The deceased was identified as Sharngadharan of Meenatheril, Ward 7 at Thrikunnapuzha. Police said he collapsed when LDF activists attacked the house of a Congress activist near his house. The body was shifted to Alappuzha Medical College.
Minor clashes between BJP and CPM workers were reported from Kazhakkoottam constituency. Several people, including women, sustained injuries in the clash at Kattayikonam. BJP workers alleged that the CPM men unleashed violence on them when they were distributing slips to voters.
Karthiyayani, 70, collapsed after casting her vote near the gate of the Vithunassery booth at Nenmara in Palakkad district. She was rushed to the Nenmara hospital were she died later.
Voting in Thiruvalla and Chengannur constituencies was adversely affected by heavy rain in the afternoon.
Bogus voting was reported from Parassala and Kattakada constituencies in Thiruvananthapuram. The votes of two electors in Parassala above the age of 80 were found to be polled by postal ballot even though they did not apply for it. A voter TG Prakash found someone had already cast his vote at Government UP school, Nemom, which falls under Kattakada constituency.
A polling official, Vidya Lakshmi, 31, who was deputed for duty at the government vocational HSS Agali in Palakkad suffered a spinal injury when she slipped and fell from a height while going to the wash room. She is a teacher at the Kadambur school.
A stray dog attacked a polling officer at Thalavadi in Alappuzha. Pradeepan, second polling officer of Thalavadi Government HS, suffered minor injuries in the attack.
The Sabarimala issue dominated the political discourse on voting day as well. While Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that Lord Ayyappa and other deities were with the LDF, Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said the LDF government would face the wrath of Lord Ayyappa and also of the people.