TN poll percentage over 25 per cent, rains hamper voting

Chennai, May 16: Tamil Nadu recorded a poll percentage of over 25 per cent by 11 AM even as voting was hampered in some districts due to heavy rain, a top election official said here today.

He said appropriate recommendations would be made on extending the voting time in rain affected areas. Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni said that according to inputs they received, the poll percentage was 25.2 per cent in Tamil Nadu by 11.AM.

Polling was comparatively lower in districts that are experiencing heavy rains, he said. He said moderate to heavy rain in parts of Ramanathapuram, Madurai, Dindigul, Tiruchirappalli, Cuddalore, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam districts had hampered polling process.

In Chennai, Pulianthope area was affected due to rains, he added. "Due to rains there are power cuts in some areas and there are some problems. However, there is no need to stop polling, the process of polling will continue.

"After considering the situation by 1-2 PM, if needed, appropriate recommendations will be made to the higher EC authorities," he told reporters when asked if the time to cast votes would be extended by an hour this evening due to rains.

In Ramanathapuram, the polling percentage was between 20-21 per cent and in Salem, Namakkal and Tiruvallur more than 30 per cent, he added. "First time voters are enthusiastically standing in queues to vote.

There are no reports of any violence or law or order issue anywhere in Tamil Nadu," he said. To a question, he said there were some glitches in Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in 17 constituencies, which has been addressed.

PTI