Thaindian News

Thiruvananthapuram, April 13 (IANS) Moderate to lengthy queues were seen outside most of Kerala’s 20,758 polling booths Wednesday as voting for the assembly elections gathered pace.

Election officials said 4.5 percent of the state’s voters had cast their votes at the end of the first hour of polling. Polling to elect a 140-member assembly began at 7 a.m. across the state and would close at 5 p.m.

Palakkad district witnessed around seven percent voting while Kollam district registered only around 3.4 percent.

About 22 million people, including nearly 12 million women, are eligible to vote and there are 971 candidates, including 78 women, in the fray.

There are 20,758 polling booths in the state; 3,703 booths have been identified as sensitive ones.

Approximately 60,000 poll officials and 80,000 policemen are on duty for the assembly polls to elect a new government in the state.

State Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told reporters that there was no need for concern and polling would go off peacefully.

The main contest is between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).

Never in the history of the state has a ruling government ever returned to power and the opposition appeared confident of winning the elections.

The Congress-led opposition was distributing money and liquor for fear of losing the polls, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said after casting his vote in his home district in Kannur.

“They have also resorted to distributing lewd magazines depicting our candidates in bad shape, these clearly indicate that they fear of the result,” said Vijayan.

Amongst those who will cast their vote Wednesday will be Defence Minister A.K. Antony and his family in a booth in Thiruvananthapuram and Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi who will exercise his franchise in a booth in Alappuzha district.