Chennai, Apr 19 (UNI) The single phase Polling to elect 39 members to the 18th Lok Sabha
from Tamil Nadu and the lone LS seat in the Union Territory of Puducherry ended on Friday
evening, amid tight security.
The polling, which began at 0700 hrs, ended at 1800 hrs and passed off peacefully.
Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo said the polling was by and large peaceful.
Barring some minor incidents, where voters in few places announced boycott of polling
initially and later turned up to cast their vote after being pacified by the authorities and
minor protests and complaints of glitches in EVMS, no major untoward incident was
reported from any part of the State.
As per the latest updates, an estimated 65 per cent polling was reported in Tamil Nadu
and nearly 75 per cent in Puducherry as the polling drew to a close.
The provisional voting percentage will be known in the night and the final figure will be
announced by tomorrow after collecting details from all the 68,321 polling booths in
Tamil Nadu.
Going by the trend the polling percentage was expected to be low this time when
compared to more than 70 per cent turnout recorded in the last three LS elections.
Meanwhile, as the gates of the polling stations were closed at 1800 hrs, a large number
of people turned up to cast their ballot in the evening.
Those who had entered the booth and are standing in the queue, will be issued tokens
to enable them to exercise their franchise.
Mr Sahoo said the polling process will end only after all those standing in the queue and
having tokens cast their ballots.
After this, the EVMs will be sealed and transported to strong rooms in counting centres,
where a round-the-clock three-tier security arrangements were put in place, including
deployment of central paramilitary forces.
The counting will take place on June four.
In the bye-election to Vilavancode Assembly seat in Tamil Nadu in the southern tip of
Kanniyakumari, the turnout was around 58-60 per cent.
The electoral fortunes of 950 candidates in Tamil Nadu--876 men and 74 women--
including 609 Independents were sealed in the EVMs and their fate would be known
on June 4.
Those in the fray included sitting MPs and first time candidates of various parties.
Leaders of leading political parties, including the DMK and its allies, their arch rival
the Opposition AIADMK and the NDA Front headed by the BJP, and the Naam Tamizhar
Katchi (NTK), have cast their ballots.
Besides, leading film personalities also exercised their democratic duty.
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