NEYYATTINKARA BY-POLL

NEYYATTINKARA BY-POLL

The by-election to the Neyyattinkara Assembly constituency on Saturday2nd June,2012, saw a heavy turnout of 80.1 per cent. The polling was by and large peaceful, with scattered incidents of altercation between party workers. In the 2011 general elections, the turnout in the Neyyattinkara constituency was 70.67 per cent. Official sources said the polling percentage on Saturday was the highest since 1960. Among the local body segments in the constituency, the Tirupuram panchayat witnessed the highest polling percentage of 83.8, followed by Athiyannoor panchayat with 80.8 per cent, and Chenkal panchayat with 80.5 per cent. While the Neyyattinkara municipality segment registered a turnout of 80.3 per cent, polling in the Karode and Kulathur panchayat segments was 78.3 per cent, according to the figures released by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala.

Right from 7 a.m., most of the booths across the constituency witnessed brisk polling. At the Valiavila L.P. School where three polling booths were functioning, the election authorities shifted two policemen on election duty following complaints that they were canvassing votes for a political party. The Election Commission also deployed a video surveillance team at the school following the incident.Tension prevailed at the polling booth at Mariyapuram in the coastal belt in the morning following a dispute over the removal of posters put up by different political parties. The police prevented a flare up by removing the publicity material put up by the CPI(M), BJP and Congress.The Election Commission had made arrangements to webcast the polling in 15 booths. Long queues were seen at polling booths in the coastal belt which witnessed a high turnout. CISF personnel were posted in the coastal areas to check untoward incidents.The polling time was extended by more than an hour in a few booths to accommodate voters standing in the queue after the 5 p.m. deadline.

There were 143 polling stations spread across the constituency which has a sizeable chink of voters from the Nadar community. As many as 15 candidates are in the fray for the crucial by-election that was necessitated by the resignation of the sitting MLA R. Selvaraj, who is contesting as the UDF candidate this time. F. Lawrence of the CPI(M) and O. Rajagopal of the BJP are the main contenders for the seat.The run up to the polling was marked by a high voltage campaign fuelled by the petrol price hike and the murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party leader T.P. Chandrasekharan. Counting of votes will take place on June 15.

Prof. John Kurakar