Polling for the Assembly election passed off peacefully in the district on Monday. According to preliminary reports, 74.97 % of voters cast their ballot in Wayanad district.
The district witnessed a high voter turnout. The percentage in the Kalpetta constituency was 74.3 %, in Sulthan Bathery 74.29 % and in Mananthavady 76.43 %. In the 2016 Assembly polls, Kalpetta constituency witnessed 78.48% polling, Sulthan Bathery 78.32% and Mananthavady 77.67 %.
The district recorded 23.18% polling by 10.15 a.m. The polling percentage rose to 70.01% by 5 p.m., according to District Collector Adeela Abdulla. The polling percentage is likely to increase as the State Election Commission is yet to release the final figures.
No untoward incident was reported in the district, Aravind Sukumar, Superintendent of Police, told The Hindu. Polling was peaceful and largely incident-free, barring minor technical snags in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at a few polling booths, Mr. Sukumar said. The machines were promptly replaced and voting continued uninterrupted.
Despite the COVID-19 threat, voters, including tribespeople and plantation workers, turned out in large numbers in the early morning and formed long queues outside polling booths in various parts of the district.
Elaborate security arrangements had been made by the police for the smooth conduct of elections. Paramilitary and police forces were deployed in 124 booths which were identified as Left Wing Extremists (LWE) affected booths and three-level security measures were in place in these booths.
In Mananthavady, former minister and UDF candidate P.K. Jayalakshmi cast her vote at Edathana Tribal Government School. NDA candidate in the Sulthan Bathery constituency C.K. Janu cast her vote at Government Lower Primary school at Panavally.
