Amid heavy security arrangements in place, polling turned out to be by and large peaceful in Perambalur Parliamentary constituency on Friday with no untoward incidents. The turn out of women voters in several rural pockets was impressive in this constituency encompassing six assembly segments: Kulithalai, Lalgudi, Manachanallur, Musiri, Thuraiyur (reserved) and Perambalur (reserved).
Braving intense heat, voters promptly turned up at their respective booths to exercise their democratic right from the time polling commenced. The overall polling percentage recorded at the end of the day was over 70. Voting began at the scheduled time of 7 a.m. after the completion of the mock poll.
This time around the administration authorities provided wheel chairs in some booths for the benefit of persons with disability. However, the same facility could not be noticed in several others although ramps were provided. Voting which commenced on a slow note gradually gained momentum over the course of the day.
Unmindful of the intense heat, several aged women made it a point to cast their vote.
S. Philomenal, 75, a resident of Thirunagar in Perambalur was one among them. Assisted by her near ones, the aged woman sat on the wheel chair provided at the Government Higher Secondary School at Perambalur and exercised her franchise.
“I came to exercise my democratic right and had no problem at the booth,” she said.
Holding a stick and walking slowly braving the heat, 65-year-old P. Dhanabakiyam armed with a booth slip cast her vote. “I have always made it a point to vote since I got married,” said Dhanabakiyam of Nakkasalem in Perambalur district.
“My neighbours told me not to venture out in the hot sun to vote. But I remained firm,” she said.
Nallathanga, 70, of Kurumbalur near Perambalur also made it a point to vote.
The aged and those with disability did not have to wait in the long queues as security personnel deployed at the booths ensured that they were given priority. In majority of the booths, voters came with booth slips and photo identity cards to the booths. Some voters came with their Aadhaar cards as proof.
First-time voters like Velmathi and Shymala both under-graduate students hailing from nondescript Sithali village in Perambalur district voted with lot of enthusiasm. “We felt great voting for the first time,” said Velmathi and Shymala in one tone. Both are students of Government College at Veppur.
In many booths, women voters of different age groups were found in good numbers as compared to men. By noon, some booths in the constituency had already touched 50% voting. There was delayed start in a booth at Pulivalam in Tiruchi district due to technical glitches in the machines.
The authorities had erected shamianas at various booths to prevent voters from standing under the hot sun. Personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police were deployed in those polling stations which had multiple booths and categorised as "vulnerable". Senior police officers said polling was by and large peaceful in the constituency with detailed security arrangements in place.
Pudukottai
Pudukottai district recorded 74 % polling with its six assembly segments attached with Tiruchi, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga and Karur Parliamentary constituencies.
Polling commenced late by over one-and-half hours at a booth in Thirunellivayal village near Manamelkudi in Pudukottai district after officials locked the booth when a group of voters complained that they had not received booth slips and did not find the symbols of a couple of contesting candidates in the posters at the booths.
Police sources said a group of villagers who came to the booth early in the day began to complain to officials that they had not received booth slips. They were also shocked to find that symbols of a couple of contesting candidates including that of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam contesting as an independent were missing in the poster stuck outside the booth. The booth comes under the Ramanathapuram Parliamentary Constituency.
The sources said at one stage the villagers reportedly argued with officials who locked the booth fearing that it could lead to some untoward incident. Consequently, there was no polling from 7 a.m. to 8.30 a.m. after which officials sorted out the problem following which voting commenced.
