About 80 percent turnout in Kerala bypoll (Lead)
June 2nd, 2012 - 9:18 pm ICT by IANS
Thiruvananthapuram, June 2 (IANS) An estimated 80 percent of the electorate voted Saturday in the assembly by-election at Neyyattinkara in Kerala, officials said.
The turnout was so heavy that many voters continued to stand in queues outside polling booths even after the end of balloting at 5 p.m.
The constituency has 164,856 voters.
In the triangular fight, former central minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader O. Rajagopal is pitted against F. Lawrence of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and R. Selvaraj of the Congress.
Selvaraj became a Congress candidate after quitting the CPI-M in March. He won the 2011 assembly election by 6,702 votes.
Seeing the huge turnout, all three candidates vowed to win.
“I will win by an enhanced margin than what the CPI-M got last year,” said Lawrence.
He said the May 4 murder of former CPI-M leader T.P. Chandrasekheran, a crime blamed on his party, would not affect the outcome.
Selvaraj said he would win again. “No one needs to have a doubt, this time I will win.”
The results will be out June 15.
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- Congress to field ex-CPI-M legislator in Kerala by-poll - Apr 25, 2012
- Neyattinkara to go to polls June 2 - Apr 24, 2012
- CPI-M leads in Neyattinkara by-election - Jun 15, 2012
- Crucial five day Kerala CPI-M party meeting starts Sunday - Jun 16, 2012
- Neyattinkara by-poll crucial for Kerala parties (Kerala Newsletter) - May 19, 2012
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- Record polling in Kerala by-election (Lead) - Mar 17, 2012
- Neyattinkara, land of uprisings, set for another battle (Kerala Newsletter) - Apr 20, 2012
- Congress faces setback in Andhra, Trinamool wins UP bypoll (Roundup) - Jun 15, 2012
- CPI-M's easy win in Tripura bypoll - Jun 15, 2012
- Kerala CPI-M legislator resigns - Mar 09, 2012
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Tags: assembly election, bharatiya janata party, communist party of india, communist party of india marxist, congress candidate, constituency, CPI, doubt, electorate, neyyattinkara, party leader, polling booths, queues, rajagopal, selvaraj