PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry witnessed brisk polling, with 78.57 per cent of electors having cast their votes across 30 Assembly segments as reports last came in, even as polling continued beyond 6 pm. The polling percentage was 78.33% for men and 78.78% for women, said Chief Electoral Officer P Jawahar.
As of now, this is a decline of around 2.62% over the previous Lok Sabha election (2019) poll percentage of 81.19% in the constituency.
Puducherry Region with 23 Assembly segments registered 79.69%, while Karaikal with five assembly segments registered 75.65%, Mahe and Yanam, one assembly segment each, registered 65.11% and Yanam 76.8% per cent, respectively.
At several places like the Blessed Mother Theresa School in Mudaliarpet, voters started lining up as early as 6.30 am.
Visually impaired 89-year-old Godanthapani, grandfather of AIADMK candidate G Tamizhvendhan, and his wife Krishnaammal (86) cast their vote at the Veerampattinam polling booth. Former Congress MLA, K Pakkiri Ammal (74), chose to stand in line rather than utilising her senior citizen privilege to bypass the queue in a booth in Embalam.
Adding to the diverse tapestry of voters was 18-year-old first-time voter Pooviarasi Arumugham, who travelled from Singapore. “I have been following the elections in India intently. My interest grew when I came to know that a polling station had been set up in the same school my father had studied,” she said.
The polling booth at VOC Government Higher Secondary School had a lot to offer in terms of environmental protection and sustainable living. The booth was decorated with maize, millet and coconut leaves. The voters were provided with cloth bags and nutritious food.
The Narikuravars, who had kept away from voting in the past few elections, exercised their franchise this time as District Election Officer-cum-Collector A Kulothungan assured to look into their issues of drinking water and housing after the elections.
While Chief Minister N Rangasamy rode a motorcycle to a booth in Thilaspet and cast his vote, Lok Sabha member V Vaithilingam cast it in Maducarai, former chief minister V Narayanasamy at VOC school and BJP candidate Namachivayam at Manaveli booth.