74% turnout in second phase of Kerala local elections

People standing in a queue outside a polling booth during the second phase of election in Kochi on Thursday.

The second phase of local body polls in seven districts in Kerala on Thursday recorded high turnout despite disruption in polling in about 300 booths in Malappuram, Trichur and Palghat districts due to malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs).
The polling percentage at the end of the polling at 5pm was over 74 per cent, according to Election Commission officials. The percentage is expected to go up as the commission has allowed extra two hours for voting in about 270 booths, where polling was stopped for few hours after the EVMs developed troubles.
The Election Commission has ordered re-polling in 27 booths in Malappuram and five booths in Trichur districts, where the polling was stopped for more than six hours, on Friday. The polling on Thursday passed off peacefully. No untoward incident was reported from any place.
Political parties have expressed the possibility of sabotage behind the malfunctioning of large number of EVMs. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and Bharatiya Janata Party president V Muraleedharan have demanded an inquiry into the incident.
Some EVMs in Malappuram district was found tampered with glue and cell type. District Collector T Bhaskaran, however, ruled out any sabotage behind it. He said problems in many places were caused by lack of experience on the part of the employees deployed for duty.
The district recorded 74 per cent polling as at 5pm despite the troubles. The highest polling of 77 per cent was recorded in Kottayam, Aleppey and Palghat districts. Pathanamthitta district recorded the lowest polling of 70 per cent as at 5pm.
Ernakulam and Trichur districts, where polling was affected by heavy rains in many places, recorded 73 per cent and 71 per cent polling respectively. The total number of voters in the second phase was 14 million. Of these 8.6 million were female voters.
A total of 44,388 candidates are in the fray for 12,651 seats in the seven districts. Two corporations - Cochin and Trichur and 55 municipalities, 576 village panchayats, 89 block panchayats and seven district panchayats are among the local bodies where second phase polling was held.
The first phase of the polls was held on November 2 in Kasargod, Calicut, Kannur, Idukki, Quilon, Wayanad and Trivandrum districts. The polling percentage in the first phase was 77.83 per cent.
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