The second phase of polling in the elections to rural local bodies in Tiruvannamalai district ended on a peaceful note as 82.45% of voters exercised their franchise. The turnout stood at an estimated 52.31% till 3 p.m.
Elections for the posts of district panchayat ward members, panchayat union ward members, village panchayat presidents and village panchayat ward members was held in nine panchayat unions on Thursday.
The final tally of first phase elections held on Thursday was put at 82.02%, by the District Election Office at Tiruvannamalai. The second phase was held in Polur, Kalasapakkam, Chetpet, Chengam, Pudhupalayam, Jawadhu Hills, Vandavasi, Arni, and west Arni blocks, where 7,61,951 voters are eligible to vote.
Among the contestants, 655 were elected unopposed in the district. In one of the wards in Chennavaram panchayat, polling was postponed due to the demise of one of the contestants.
Voters in Athimur, Tindivanam panchayat in Polur block raised apprehensions over the inordinate delay in the poll process as two wards 3 and 8 were grouped in a single polling booth. Officials were tight-lipped on this issue.
At a booth in Kongrampattu village in west Arni Panchayat Union, large number of ‘Narikuravas’ (gypsies) turned up to exercise their franchise. Elaborate arrangements including police security was arranged in all the polling booths.
Booths set up in the hilly terrains of Jamunamarathur in Jawadhu Hills saw huge voter turnout since morning, which increased in the afternoon.
Booth monitoring
Sensitive and vulnerable booths were being monitored by designated officers and CCTV cameras were fitted in the booths. Web screening was arranged at Tiruvannamalai Collectorate to monitor the election process. Deputy Inspector General of Police, Vellore Range, N. Kamini, Superintendent of Police, Vellore, Praveshkumar, Tiruvannamalai SP, M.R. Sibi Chakravarthi, Kallakurichi SP, T. Jayachandran, three ADSPs, 17 DSPs, and as many as 2,800 policemen were on security duty on Monday.
