Thaindian News

Chennai, March 27 (IANS) Around 84 percent of over 200,000 voters Saturday cast their votes in the by-election to the Pennagaram assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu, officials said.
“Polling is still on in one booth. We estimate polling will be around 84 percent. Final tally will be known only later,” the state’s Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta told IANS from Dharmapuri, where he was camping on the Election Commission’s instructions to oversee the polling process.

According to him, polling was largely peaceful with the three election observers going around the constituency and making enquiries.

“There will not be any need for re-polling in any of the 250 booths,” he added.

Though 31 candidates are in the fray the poll is largely dominated by four major candidates - DMK’s P.N.P. Inbasekaran, PMK’s G.K.M. Tamilkumaran, AIADMK’s R. Anbalagan and DMDK’s Kaveri Varman.

Polling was brisk since morning with voters forming long queues. At 3 p.m. the voting percentage was around 65 percent and at 4 p.m. it was around 74 percent.

Gupta agreed that the polling percentage is high as in the case of earlier by-polls but declined to comment on the possible reasons.

During the run up to the elections all the parties traded charges of large scale electoral malpractices like distribution of cash and kind to woo the voters.

Gupta said complaints about the presence of outsiders were promptly looked into by the security forces.

“At one place there was a congregation of people from Dindugal. Police chased them away as it was felt they would enter the constituency and create trouble or distribute cash or involve in bogus voting,” he said.

There was a delay of 30 minutes in the morning at the booth where AIADMK candidate had to cast his vote, due to some technical hitch.

The Election Commission monitored the entire election process with web cameras at all the polling stations.

Nine companies of security force had been deployed in the constituency for the smooth conduct of the poll.

A 10-member Bhutanese delegation led by Commissioner Tashi Gyeltshen was in the constituency to observe the election process.

The delegation was accompanied by an official from the Election Commission of India.

The delegation, after being briefed about the Indian election process by Gupta, visited a couple of polling booths.

It will also witness the counting of votes to be held March 30.