Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 9 (PTI) Polling in the Kerala Assembly elections saw a turnout of over 16 per cent after the first two hours of voting on Thursday.
According to Election Commission (EC) figures, polling till 9 am recorded a turnout of 16.23 per cent with the highest being in Ernakulam district with 17.8 per cent.
Constituency-wise, the highest polling percentage till 9 am was seen in Thripunithura with 20.59 per cent, according to EC data.
The ruling LDF is fighting to retain power and secure a third consecutive term, banking on CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s model of governance and welfare. The Congress-led UDF is vying to regain power, seeking to end a decade of left rule in the state.
Amidst this traditionally bipolar contest, the BJP-led NDA is looking to disrupt the duopoly of LDF and UDF and aims to translate its growing vote share into a decisive presence in the state assembly.
Polling in all the 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala commenced at 7 am on Thursday after completion of the mock polling.
People started arriving early in the morning at the 30,495 polling stations in the state to avoid the hot weather that was likely to get worse as the day progressed.
The political leaders and prominent personalities who cast their votes in the morning included Chief Minster Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan, Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi, KPCC chief Sunny Joseph and actor Mohanlal.
Polling was carried out amidst tight security arrangements which included deployment of over 76,000 security personnel and live monitoring of the election process by an extensive webcasting system.
Around 2.71 crore voters will decide the fate of the 883 candidates who are contesting from the 140 Assembly constituencies in the state.
The electorate comprises 1.32 crore men, 1.39 crore women and 273 transgender persons, along with over 2.42 lakh overseas voters, according to EC figures. PTI HMP ROH
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