LS polls in TN ends peacefully,70 pc turnout; likely to go up

Elections to 38 Lok Sabha seats and bypolls for 18 Assembly segments in Tamil Nadu Thursday was by and large peaceful and the tentative turnout for Parliamentary polls stood at 69.55 per cent, Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo said.

The turnout figure is likely to go up as data was still being collated, he said.

When the figure goes up, it is expected to be more or less correspond to the final tally of 73.68 per cent recorded in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

The turnout in the 18 assembly segments recorded 71.62 per cent (both LS and Assembly polls turnout were based on available data at 7 pm) and with Lok Sabha elections in Madurai segment ending at 8 pm, the data collation was still on, Sahoo told reporters here.

There was no major law and order issues and a CAPF jawan fired one round in the air to disperse crowds (near Arakkonam), he added.

DGP (Elections) Ashutosh Shukla said when the crowds tried to enter a polling station at Kilvisharam under Arakkonam Lok Sabha segment, a Central Armed Police Force jawan opened one round of fire in the air.

"Superintendent of Police, Vellore rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control," he added.

Minor incidents of violence were reported from five towns, including Gudiyatham and Ariyalur, and the situation was brought under control immediately, he added.

Police said four BJP men were allegedly injured in a clash with workers of the DMK and Congress in Kanyakumari.

On complaints of technical glitches, Sahoo said 375 ballot units, 228 control units and 766 VVPAT were replaced.

"Based on the low replacement rates, we can say the EVM performance has been very good."
Radhakrishnan told reporters in Kanyakumari: "This is a massive democratic festival which will decide the fate of India. I have exercised my franchise... A silent revolution is happening."
AIADMK leader and state minister D Jayakumar said 13 per cent voting in the morning "is a joyous thing."
Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader T T V Dhinakaran alleged "malfunctioning of EVMs is an achievement of the Modi government."