Polling in the first phase of the much-delayed elections to rural local bodies was largely peaceful in the 27 districts where it was held. There were stray incidents of violence, drama, boycotts, stealing of ballot boxes, missing symbols of candidates, and mix-up of ballot papers.
Of the 27 districts going to the polls in the two phases — the second phase will be held on December 30 — voters queued up to elect members to 260 district panchayat wards, 2,546 panchayat unions, and 37,830 village panchayats.
A total of 2,31, 890 candidates are in the fray for both phases, of which 18,570 have already been elected unopposed. A total of 1.30 crore voters were eligible to vote in the first phase.
Ministers vote
Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and various Ministers voted in their respective constituencies.
The polling day, largely peaceful, was marred by incidents of violence in some places.
In Tiruvallur district, five persons were arrested after a mob damaged a ballot box and set fire to the ballot papers in Kadambathur block in Paparambakkam village. According to eye witnesses, around noon, a mob walked in, alleging foul play in the casting of votes. “They pushed election officials aside and brought the ballot box out. They emptied it and set the ballot papers on fire,” said an election official.
A section of voters belonging to the Scheduled Caste boycotted the election in Perali village panchayat in Perambalur district, allegedly irked over the support extended by the dominant intermediate caste voters to a particular candidate.
In Salem, a few men wearing AIADMK flag-coloured dhotis were found casting votes on the pretext of assisting voters at a polling booth in Poolavari, under the Veerapandi panchayat union.
Wrong symbol
In Krishnagiri district, two male relatives of a union council candidate at Pavakkal panchayat of Uthangarai union, doused themselves in kerosene, threatening self-immolation, over the printing of a wrong symbol.
In Dharmapuri district, polling for the post of village panchayat president was stopped in the Harur union, Sitling panchayat, Karapaapdi government school, over the printing of wrong symbols on the ballot papers. Polling will now be held on December 30.
At a booth in Adaiyur village under the Tiruvannamalai panchayat union, more than 100 voters arrived in a group just a few minutes before polling ended, at 5 p.m., resulting in a delay on closing the booth.
The district recorded an approximate poll of 71.02% by the end of the poll process at 5 p.m.
(With bureau inputs)
