Polling in Ramanathapuram district, which was dull in the first two hours with just 5.50% votes having been polled, ended with 69.24% voters having cast their votes at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, District Election Officer and Collector Dinesh Ponraj Oliver said.
Mercury level was high across the district, which has four – Ramanathapuram, Paramakudi, Tiruvadanai and Mudukalathur – Assembly constituencies, that many senior citizens remained indoors. Differently abled persons complained of non-availability of wheelchairs. In some polling stations, police personnel helped differently abled persons reach the booths.
At 7 p.m., Ramanathapuram recorded a polling percentage of 67.51, Paramakudi 70.51, Tiruvadanai 68.72 and Mudukalathur 70.35 officials said.
Mr. Dinesh Ponraj Oliver cast his vote at the polling station at Swartz Higher Secondary School along with his family.
At Kandilan polling station in Mudukulathur constituency, a sunshade collapsed and fell on the voters standing underneath. At least five voters, including Damodaran (60) and Bhuvaneswari (24), suffered minor injuries and were treated at the government hospital. The other voters were allowed to use another gate to get inside.
In Paramakudi, officials reported poll boycott at Kamudakudi and Kodangipatti polling stations. The voters at Kamudakudi said despite representations made to officials to reopen the railway gate after the construction of a bridge in the area was delayed, it was not done. Hence, 2,113 voters boycotted the election. Since a bad road was not repaired and relaid, 263 voters in Kodangipatti abstained from casting their votes.
COVID-19 positive patients cast their votes between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. with PPE kits at designated polling stations.
In Sivaganga district too, polling commenced on a dull note with less than 10% votes having been polled in the first two hours. However, at 3 p.m., the district, which comprised Karaikudi, Sivaganga, Manamadurai and Tirupathur constituencies, had recorded an average polling percentage of 56.38.
District Election Officer P. Madhusudhan Reddy said at 7 p.m. the percentage rose to 69.
Due to technical glitches, actual polling started at 8.25 a.m. at Maviduthikottai polling station in Devakottai.
An election official at Karaiyur booth in Tirupathur Assembly constituency, who had reported for duty on Monday evening, complained of uneasiness. Though he was immediately relieved by another official kept in reserve, he died at hospital later.
Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, who cast his vote at Kandanur, told reporters that his party alliance would win comfortably as the people were eager to see a change. It would be a big victory in Tamil Nadu and it would set the tone for the removal of the BJP government at the Centre in 2024. “You will all see for yourself on May 2, the counting day,” he added.
