Voter turnout in the Assembly elections in Kerala on Thursday was 78.27%, according to Election Commission of India (ECI) trends till 11 pm, surpassing the polling figure of 74.06% in the 2021 Assembly elections, indicating high public participation in the electoral process after the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
In absolute numbers, trends indicate that of the 27.1 million people eligible to vote, 21 million exercised their right to vote. The total electorate in Kerala fell by 8.42% from 27.9 million after the SIR. While polling concluded at 30,495 polling stations at 6pm, IEC officials said those standing in line were given codes allowing them to vote. Kerala’s percentage is down slightly from its 1987 peak of 79.9%, however, and the final voter turnout is expected by Friday.
The highest district level participation was in Kozhikode at 81.32% and the lowest in Pathanamthitta at 70.76%. Among the Assembly constituencies, Chittoor, in Palakkad district, recorded the highest figure of 84.66% as per trends available at 5 pm. In fact, of the top 10 constituencies with high turnout, three of them fall in Ernakulam district, including Paravur where Opposition leader V D Sathisan is standing. The lowest turnout was in Rani constituency in Pathanamthitta district at 68.99%.
The high-stakes election battle in Kerala was between the Communist Party of India (Maoist)-led Liberal Democratic Front (LDF), the Congress-led main opposition party, and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA. While the LDF aims for a record third consecutive term in power, the United Democratic Front hopes to capitalize on anti-incumbency sentiment to come to power a decade later. The NDA, which has no representation in the outgoing Parliament, aims to expand its presence in the state and break the existing political duopoly.
All major political leaders including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of Opposition V D Sathisan and BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar cast their votes in the early morning hours of the day. While CM Vijayan, who is contesting his third consecutive election from the party’s stronghold of Dharmadam, cast his vote at a polling station set up at a higher primary school in Pinarai village, Sathisean cast his vote with his family members at a booth set up at Kesari Arts and Science College in Paravur, a constituency he has represented continuously since 2001.
“Kerala is on its way to becoming a developed state with achievements in various sectors that must continue uninterrupted. People realize that only the LDF can take the state forward,” CM Vijayan said after the vote.
Sathisan reiterated his claim that the United Democratic Front will sweep the elections in the state, winning more than 100 seats in the 140-member assembly. “In the last three months, I have traveled across the state four times. I have a clear understanding of the public mood,” Sathisan said.
Chandrasekhar urged voters to come out in large numbers and vote for change. “The NDA’s strong showing in these elections will change the political discourse in Kerala,” he said.
At least two people died after collapsing at polling stations in Thrissur and Kollam districts – one a voter and the other a polling official – both of natural causes.
There were protests at a polling station in Kurkancherry in Thrissur district after a woman was prevented from voting due to an injured index finger. The woman, known as Akshaya, had come to the podium to vote at 1.30pm with bandages on her record after sustaining an injury. However, the president denied women the opportunity to vote, stating that voter’s ink could not be placed on her finger. After the protests, she was allowed to vote around 6.15 pm after obtaining a written order from the office of the Kerala Chief Electoral Officer.
The votes will be counted on May 4.
