CHENNAI: As the sun climbed higher so did the voter turnout in Tamil Nadu. The state recorded 25.2% turnout till 11am, up from 18.3% recorded till 9am.
The booths opened at 7am. Polling got off to a sluggish start in the southern districts, where there was steady rain due to a low pressure zone in the Bay of Bengal.
Chennai kept up with the rest of the state and recorded 25% turnout till 11am, up from 13% two hours earlier. From around 10.30am, it began raining in many parts of the city, which many kept voters at home.
“Polling is sluggish in 14 districts. We will wait till 1pm to send a representation to the Election Commission to extend the polling time beyond 6pm,” state chief electoral officer Rajesh Lakhoni told the media around 11am.
Fourteen districts, including Ramanathapuram, Trichy, Madurai and Dindigul, had been hit by rain slowing down polling, he said.
No violent incidents had been reported from any part of the state so far, said Lakhoni. Pulianthope and Pudupet areas in Chennai received rain and power supply was disrupted in these areas.
In Ramanathapuram, a tree fall disrupted power supply to polling booths. “Steps have been taken to restore power and district collectors have been informed about the power cuts,” he said.
Many young voters were waiting in queues in Chennai, Trichy and other urban areas. “We expect their percentage of voting to increase in the coming hours,” said Lakhoni.
Meanwhile, DMK has sent a representation to the Election Commission seeking extension of the polling time by an hour from 6pm to 7pm as many areas were hit by rain and electronic voting machines malfunctioned in some booths.