KRISHNAGIRI: Despite voter awareness campaigns conducted by the district adminisration, Krishnagiri recorded 71.50% polling as against the 75. 95% recorded in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Apart from poll boycott in hilly region, few tribal region and rural areas recorded good turnout whereas urban areas recorded poor polling.
A polling station at G Nagamangalam village in Bargur assembly constituency (AC) recorded the lowest turnout with just 210 people out of 620 voters casting their votes . The second lowest was Kattikanapalli in Krishnagiri AC, which recorded 43. 60%. Here, out of 1, 000 votes, 436 votes were polled.
Shoolagiri government boys higher secondary school recorded the highest turnout with 94. 19%. Out of the 396 votes, 373 were polled. This was followed by another polling booth in the same school with 92. 96 %. Out of the 398 votes, 370 were polled.
Kadambakuttai tribal habitation to which officials trekked with EVM has 90 votes. Of this 80 votes were polled, rccording 88. 89%. Sources cited migration as a factor for the poor polling at Nagamangalam. “People of Nagamangalam village largely work as migrant labourers in Bengaluru, Goa and other places. Thus due to financial constraints, they did not come home to vote,” an official said.
Krishnagiri Collector and District Returning Officer KM Sarayu told TNIE “Due to long weekend, people have not shown interest to exercise their franchise. Over 550 SVEEP activities were carried across the district and in tribal regions people have voted as their duty. However, we will check the issues in polling stations with poor polling.”