Barring a poll boycott in Katpadi Assembly constituency and some glitches in the functioning of EVMs, the elections in the four districts — Ranipet, Vellore, Tirupattur and Tiruvannamalai — was by and large peaceful amidst the pandemic.
This is the first Assembly election after the trifurcation of Vellore district. Following cash seizures, including ₹97 lakh from Ranipet and ₹18.41 lakh in Katpadi, more than ₹5 lakh in Gudiyatham and ₹4 lakh in Anaicut, there was a fear that the election may get rescinded in Vellore and Ranipet districts.
However, the polling was conducted smoothly. Though it began at a slow pace in the morning, it gradually picked up momentum as the day progressed. According to the data released by the Election Commission, Ranipet district registered 74.36%, Tirupattur district registered a total polling percentage of 74.66, Tiruvannamalai recorded 75.63% and Vellore had a polling percentage of 72.31 at the end of the election.
There were 1,783 polling booths in Vellore district, 1,371 in Tirupattur, 1,447 in Ranipet district and 2,885 in Tiruvannamalai and all these districts put together had over 53 lakh voters. Thousands of officials and policemen were deployed in the booths to ensure that the polling was conducted smoothly.
Unmindful of the scorching heat, residents started coming to the booths as early as 6.45 a.m. However in most booths, personal distancing was thrown to the wind. Elderly citizens came in large numbers to vote. "I wanted to vote in the booth, hence I did not use the postal ballot," said an elderly woman who was waiting at a booth in Ambur.
First-time voters also turned up enthusiastically to exercise their franchise. “I was excited. I want a good leadership in my constituency,” said T. K. Padmavathi, a first-time voter in Gandhi Nagar, Katpadi.
Though overall the voting was peaceful, there were delays in all the districts due to malfunctioning of the EVMs. They were set right immediately. Residents also boycotted the election in Katharikuppam village in Katpadi constituency.
COVID-19 patients also turned up for voting in Ranipet and Tirupathur constituencies after 6 p.m.