Tamil Nadu elections: Polling ends in the state with 70% voter turnout - Hindustan Times
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Tamil Nadu elections: Polling ends in the state with 70% voter turnout

Hindustan Times | ByHT Correspondent, Chennai
May 16, 2016 08:21 PM IST

Polling ended in Tamil Nadu with a 70% voter turnout - 8 percentage points less than 2011 elections - at 6pm on Monday.

Polling ended in Tamil Nadu with a 70% voter turnout - 8 percentage points less than the 2011 elections - at 6pm on Monday.

Visually impaired women coming out of a polling booth after casting the votes inTamil Nadu assembly polls in Chennai on Monday.(PTI)
Visually impaired women coming out of a polling booth after casting the votes inTamil Nadu assembly polls in Chennai on Monday.(PTI)

Puducherry saw a healthy 80% voter turnout at the end of the day.

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“Till 5 pm around 69.19 percent of voters have exercised their franchise (in TN). Polling has come to an end in the state at 6 pm. Those who have reached the polling stations will be allowed to vote,” Rajesh Lakhoni, Tamil Nadu’s chief electoral officer said.

Roughly half of Chennai didn’t vote despite pleasant weather in the city. As per records only 57% voted.

The city was battered by floods, some months back, and poll pundits had predicted that people would vote in large numbers to express their anger over ruling party’s apathy.

Other flood affected districts like Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur and Cuddalore recorded much higher polling percentages at 72, 68 and 74 respectively.

The highest polling percentage was recorded at Pennagram where 85% came out to vote. PMK’s Andbumani Ramadoss, a chief ministerial candidate, is contesting from this constituency.

Chief electoral officer, Rajesh Lakhoni, said that polling was higher in rural areas as compared to the urban areas.

Polling began at a brisk pace in the morning but slackened towards late afternoon.

Around 58.2 million Tamil Nadu voters set out on May 16 to elect the new 234-member assembly in the polls. Polling was deferred to May 23 in two constituencies - Thanjavur and Aravakurichi.

In Tamil Nadu, as usual, it is a direct fight between the ruling AIADMK and the DMK with PWF-DMDK-TMC combine and PMK in the fray while in Puducherry it is a direct fight between the ruling NR Congress and the Congress.

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