Notwithstanding the high-octane campaign that the region witnessed over the past one-and-a-half months, Pathanamthitta recorded a notable drop in voter turnout in the Lok Sabha election held on Friday.
According to provisional estimates, the polling percentage in Pathanamthitta stood at 63.33% when voting ended at 6 p.m. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the constituency recorded a turnout of 74.3%.
In absolute terms, as many as 8,79,162 out of 14,29,700 voters in the district exercised their franchise.
Of the seven Assembly segments in the parliamentary constituency, Adoor recorded the highest polling percentage at 67.43, while Thiruvalla, with just 60.48% voter turnout, stood in the last position.
Earlier in the morning, polling began on a brisk note, with the first four hours recording 20% turnout. Although it experienced a lull around midday due to rising temperature levels, the momentum picked up slightly again later, by 4 p.m.
Though women outnumbered men in the electoral roll, the percentage of men voters who exercised their franchise stood at 62.82% as against 60.27% for women. Of the nine transgender voters in the constituency, four (44%) also availed of their voting rights.
Barring a few stray incidents, the polling remained relatively peaceful. UDF candidate Anto Antony staged a protest at a polling booth in Kumbazha against alleged malfunctioning of a electronic voting machine (EVM).
Throughout the day, election authorities replaced 40 EVMs, including 20 VVPAT machines, which had developed snags during polling.
In a separate incident, a woman voter in Manakala, Adoor, sustained bite injuries after being attacked by a stray dog. The incident occurred when the woman reached a polling booth at the Government Polytechnic here. She was promptly rushed to the Adoor Taluk hospital for treatment.
Polling percentage in assembly segments:
Poonjar – 63.48%
Kanjirappally - 66.11%
Ranni – 60.71%
Aranmula – 61.26%
Thiruvalla -60.48%
Konni – 64.24%
Adoor – 67.43%(highest)
