Kerala recorded 77.68 percent voter turnout and Karnataka recorded 68 percent voter turnout on Tuesday, 23 April, in the third and largest phase of polling of the ongoing 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said there are reports of EVM malfunctioning in many booths, and urged the Election Commission to take notice of it. Voting restarted in Kerala’s Kovalam after it was stopped following reports of EVM malfunctioning. The Kerala Chief Election Commissioner rubbished these reports, calling it “false news.”
A total of 117 seats are going to polls in this phase across the country, out of which 34 fall in the the southern states of Kerala and Karnataka.
- One of the key seats to watch out for will be Kerala’s Wayanad, where Congress President Rahul Gandhi is contesting
- Sitting Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is facing a triangular contest in Thiruvananthapuram
- In Karnataka’s 14 seats that are going to polls, the Congress currently holds four, while the BJP holds 10
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Record Turnout in Rahul Gandhi's Wayanad in LS Polls
Billed as a key seat given the presence of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on the ballot, the Wayanad Lok Sabha segment witnessed a record turnout of voters on Tuesday as polling was held in the State's 20 constituencies.
The voting percentage was 76.21 as of 6 pm when the polling time officially ended, three per cent more than what was recorded in 2014 (73.2).
According to official sources, a large number of people were still in the queue at polling stations and the figure would go up when the final figures are tabulated.
Buoyed by the large turnout, the Congress-led UDF claimed a 'record breaking margin' for Gandhi in Wayanad when the votes are counted on 23 May.
The CPI-M-led LDF admitted that Gandhis candidature was the reason for the massive turnout in polling stations but claimed that the hard work done by the Left workers for their candidate P P Suneer also contributed towards it.
Tentative 73.06 Percent Votes Polled in Kerala
A provisional voter turnout of 73.06 percent was recorded on Tuesday in the elections to the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala which by and large was peaceful.
An estimated 73.06 percent of the 2.61 crore voters cast their franchise as of 6 pm when the polling time officially ended but this was likely to go up when the final figures are tabulated, official sources said.
It was a do-or-die battle for both the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and opposition Congress-headed UDF in most of the 20 Lok Sabha seats this time in the state, known for its decades-long bipolar politics.
A senior election official told PTI that since there were a large number of people standing in queues in some places, they would be allowed to vote.
64.14 Percent Voter Turnout Recorded in Karnataka till 6 PM
An estimated 62.14 percent voter turnout was reported till 6 PM in 14 constituencies of Karnataka on Tuesday, poll officials said.
68.21 Percent Voter Turnout Recorded in Kerala till 5 PM
An estimated 68.21 percent voter turnout was reported till 5 PM in Kerala, where polls are underway on Tuesday, the Election Commission said.