First phase of polling peaceful

Polling percentage stands at 74.76 in Cheranmahadevi union

The first phase of the rural local body elections passed off peacefully without any untoward incident in any part of the district on Wednesday.

As per the polling percentage provided by the officials at 10 p.m., Cheranmahadevi union polled 74.76% votes while Ambasamudram union recorded 67.08% voter turn out. Paappaakudi union registered 72.63%

In the polling held on Wednesday in Ambasamudram, Cheranmahadevi, Paapaakudi, Palayamkottai and Maanur unions, the voters decided the political fortunes of 3,006 candidates contesting for 1,113 posts after 211 were elected unopposed. Though the polling started at 7 a.m. on a sluggish note as the voter turnout was only 9.75% in the first two hours, it rose to 23.32% at 11 a.m. and 39.10% at 1 p.m. with Paappaakudi union leading the table with 41.10%. The poll percentage was 52.01 at 3 p.m.

Collector V. Vishnu, who visited a few polling stations in the morning, said volunteers had been deployed in all polling booths to distribute sanitizer and disposable gloves to the voters, whose body temperature were being measured with scanners at the entrance of the polling stations. Voters in isolation for COVID-19 were allowed to cast their votes between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

“The polling personnel have been asked to ensure COVID-19-appropriate behaviour at the polling stations,” Mr. Vishnu said after visiting the polling booths in Oasis Matriculation School at KTC Nagar in Palayamkottai around 8.30 a.m.

Election Observer J. Jayakanthan also visited a few polling stations during the day.

As the 500-odd voters of Maadhudaiyaarkulam villagers under Malaiyankulam village panchayat in Cheranmahadevi union boycotted the polls and refused to come to the polling station to cast their votes in protest against the delay in opening the new ration shop in their village, the officials tried to pacify them.

Though the polling started at 7 a.m., the villagers were firm in their decision till 10.25 a.m. even after Tahsildar, Cheranmahadevi, Balu, assured them that the ration shop would be opened once the election mode code is lifted.

“After Minister for Cooperation I. Periyasamy gave his consent, the new ration shop was established in Maadhudaiyaarkulam. However, it could not be opened as the election model code of conduct came into force. However, the villagers suspected that the delay was due to some political pressure and announced that they would boycott the polls,” senior revenue official said.

As the tahsildar gave an undertaking that the shop would be opened after the election model code of conduct is lifted, the voters started exercising their franchise since 10.25 a.m.

Superintendent of Police N. Manivannan, who visited a few sensitive polling stations on Tuesday night to review the security arrangements there, continued the visit on Wednesday also as the first phase of polling covered 182 sensitive polling stations.

When he happened to see six “outsiders” at Mela Puththaneri near Palayamkottai, they were taken for interrogation as the State Election Commission had banned the presence of outsiders in any of the local bodies going in for polling on Wednesday. When it was found that all the six were only from Tirunelveli district, they were let off in the afternoon.

On information about distribution of cash for votes at Ariyakulam, a police team, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police, Thaazhaiyoothu, Jebaraj nabbed a few persons and took them for interrogation.

Since Gopalasamudram under Munneerpallam police station limits had witnessed two gruesome beheading within a gap of just 36 hours in mid-September, the police force deployed in this hamlet were retained even though this town panchayat did not go in for polls on Wednesday. Apart from the two check-posts erected along the road leading to Gopalasamudram from the Tirunelveli – Papanasam Highway, three police vehicles had been stationed near the police outpost in the village to ensure ‘visible policing’ in the hamlet.

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