Kerala Assembly polls: 57.5% voter turnout recorded till 3 pm

An estimated 57.54% voters exercised their franchise till 3 p.m in the elections to 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala today as polling steadily picked up pace with three hours left for the close.

The politically sensitive northern district of Kannur continued to be on top with 62.12% voting, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer said.

The state capital Thiruvananthapuram recorded the lowest of 44.93% till 3 p.m, it said.

After a slow start with 12.11% till 9 a.m, the percentage picked up later in the day and touched 43.88% at 1 p.m.

Polling to decide the fate of 1,203 candidates in the fray was peaceful across the state so far, police said.

Tight security has been put in place across the state with the deployment of about 52,000 police personnel besides central forces.