Voting was going on even past 7 p.m. in some places
More than 17.48 lakh people in Palakkad district cast their votes in the Assembly election held on Tuesday.
Official polling figures released at 7 p.m. indicated 76.17% polling. However, this figure is likely to change as polling had not closed at some places.
When Chittur constituency registered the highest percentage of voting (79.07 %), Palakkad constituency, where Metroman E. Sreedharan is contesting on the BJP banner against UDF incumbent Shafi Parambil, witnessed the lowest voter turnout (73.62%).
In the 2016 Assembly election, the district had registered 78.37% polling. The polling percentage of Chittur in 2016 was 82.95% and that of Palakkad 77.25%.
In Thrithala, 76.95% voters reached the polling stations. The polling percentage in the other constituencies were 76.38 % in Pattambi, 76.54 % in Shoranur, 75.65 % in Ottapalam, 75.14 % in Kongad, 75.41 % in Mannarkkad, 75.02 % in Malampuzha, 73.62 % in Palakkad, 75.72 % in Tarur, 79.07 % in Chittur, 76.67 % in Nenmara, and 77.40 % in Alathur.
Large queues of voters were formed outside the booths soon after polling began at 7 a.m. Polling was delayed in some booths because of poor light.
A woman polling official was injured after she fell from a three story building at Agali. Vidyalakshmi, 31, from Sreekrishnapuram, suffered spine injury in the accident that took place at 5.30 a.m. She was shifted to a private hospital at Perinthalmanna.
A woman collapsed and died soon after voting in a polling booth at ALP School, Vithanassery, near Nemmara. Karthyayini, 69, wife of Appukkuttan Machathu, was rushed to a private hospital nearby, but died on the way.
Voter reached the polling stations without caring for the summer heat. Over 24% voters had reached the booths in the first three hours of polling. By 1 p.m., about half of the voters in the district had cast their votes.
Voting ended at 6 p.m. in Mannarkkad, Kongad and Malampuzha constituencies that had Maoist threat. However, in other constituencies, voting was permitted till 7 p.m.
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