COIMBATORE: Residents of Erode turned out in large numbers to cast their votes in the Assembly election on Thursday, amid the increasing summer heat conditions that have been keeping the district ahead in this regard in recent days.
In the eight assembly constituencies of Erode district, voter turnout in the election surpassed the 2021 figures. The district recorded a voter turnout of 72.82% in the 2021 state election, while it has spiked to 90.09% in this election.
Perundurai, Bhavani and Gobichettipalayam constituencies showed a clear increase, attributed to stronger local mobilisation. Urban segment Erode West and also the rural segment Anthiyur registered the lowest turnout, while rural and semi-rural areas Modakurichi, Erode East and Bhavani Sagar saw the highest polling.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had reduced the number of voters in the district from 19.97 lakh to 17.40 lakh across these eight constituencies. Along with it, the enthusiastic participation of first-time voters is said to have played a major role in increasing the voter turnout.
First-time voter M Veera Prakash, a 20-year-old from Puthukaraipudur near Nanjai Gobichettipalayam, expressed excitement after casting his vote. “I was clear on my choice. We were not interested in politics. But this time three of us friends fulfilled our democratic duty together wholeheartedly. We did not accept any bribes from any parties,” he said.
Echoing similar sentiments, 83-year-old Pachayammal from Kullampalayam said, “Casting my vote is my right and no one can buy it. I have never missed an election since I turned 20 and I continue to vote without expecting help from anyone.”
As the district has been experiencing intense hot weather in recent days, the people of Erode town queued up at polling booths in the morning to exercise their democratic rights aided by efficient arrangements made by the Election Commission.
In Bhavani and Perundurai constituencies, officials provided ORS drinking water to help voters beat the heat at most of the polling stations. In many interior polling booths, traditional coconut thatch roofs were installed instead of the usual shamiana structures to offer better protection from the sun's heat.
The new system for securing mobile phones faced challenges at many places. Although the Election Commission provided mobile holders and staff to issue tokens outside booths, each holder could accommodate only eight phones while 16 tokens were issued due to heavy turnout. This led to chaos and confusion at several locations. In Karungaradu village in the Perundurai segment, staff had to manually manage tokens as the system became unmanageable. Similar difficulties were reported at Mettuvalasu in Gobichettipalayam.
Technical glitches delayed the polling at a few places such as Sampath Nagar at Erode Town, Mettunasuvanpalayam, Surampatti Valasu and Mettu Valasu. At Kumalankuttai, a youth complained to officials alleging that his vote was mistakenly cast by someone. The voter was advised to approach the district election officer.
Overall, Erode district witnessed impressive voter participation despite the extreme heat, reflecting a strong democratic spirit among the people.
According to election officials, five western districts of the state tops in higher turnout with Erode at the fourth slot as per the polling figures updated till late evening.
Erode is one of the seven cities in Tamil Nadu that has recorded the maximum temperature above normal (1.6 to 3.0 degrees Celsius) on Thursday.
