71.7 per cent polling in Kerala

A voter turnout of an estimated 71.7 per cent was recorded today for the Kerala assembly polls that passed off peacefully amid tight security.
Election office sources said71.7 per cent is the tentative polling percentage and it was likely to go up to 75 per cent after finalisation of voter turnout. Around 2.60 crore people were eligible to vote for the 140-member Assembly.
Congress-led ruling UDF and CPI-M headed opposition LDF are in a neck and neck electoral fight in the state where BJP is striving hard to make a maiden entry into the assembly.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Opposition leader and 93-year-old CPI-M veteran V S Achuthanandan, CPI(M) politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan, 83-year-old Kerala Congress(M) supremo and former Finance Minister K M Mani were among the 1,203 candidates in the electoral arena.

For Chandy, this was the 11th consecutive straight contestfrom Puthupally, while for Mani, it was the 13th stint from Pala.
Achuthanandan and Pinarayi Vijayan, said to be LDF'S Chief Ministerial candidates, contested from Malampuzha and Dharmadam respectively.

Kerala has a total electorate of 2,61,06,422, of which female voters number 1,35,08,693 and males 1,25,10, 589.
There are two members of third gender in the electoral rolls.
Except for stray incidents of violence, no major incidents were reported from any part ofthe state, police said.
Over 52,000 police personnel were stationed across Keralaas part of security.
Special security arrangements including web casting, were made in 3,176 polling stationsidentified as 'sensitive, critical and vulnerable'.

Due to rains in some parts of Kerala, polling which was slow in the initial hours, picked up in the afternoon touching71.7 per cent at close.
Total voter turnout in the 2011 state assembly polls was 75.11 per cent.
People were seen queueing up in various booths in the state, much before polling began this morning, especially in some coastal areas.
In a related incident,a 70-year-old voter, who was standingin a booth at Perambra in Kozhikode, collapsed and died before casting his vote.
Nuns and priests, including Cardinal Mar George Alancherry of Syro Malabar church and Latin catholic Major Archbishop Soosai Pakiam were among those who voted.

In a first, Kerala Governor Justice (Retd) P Sathasivam
and his wife cast their votes in a booth here.
This is the first time a state Governor has exercised his franchise in Kerala.
Speaking to reporters, Justice Sathasivam said "as a first citizen (of the state), I request all citizens to come andvote. This is my humble request", he said.
CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and LDF's Chief Ministerial aspirant Pinarayi Vijayan, senior Congress leader A K Antony, IUML leader and Industries Minister P K Kunhaikutty, BJP's Rajya Sabha MP and actor Suresh Gopi and BJP State President Kummanom Rajasekharan were among those who cast their votes in the early hours.

LDF and UDF leaders expressed confidence of riding to power, while BJP said they would come out with a sterling performance.
However, leaders of both fronts were unanimous that BJP would not open its account in Kerala where the party had put up a stiff fight this time with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing five public meetings.