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Kerala turnout crosses 65% till 5 p.m.
Technical glitches notwithstanding, 65 per cent of Kerala's over 2 crore strong electorate had cast their votes by 5 p.m. as polling went on in the state's 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in the third round on Tuesday.
While voting was slated to formally end at 6 p.m., election authorities said all those who enter the polling station compound before that time will be allowed to cast their votes.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the final tally was 73.89 per cent and it remains to be seen if the 2019 turnout will match or surpass it.
In Wayanad, from where Congress President Rahul Gandhi is contesting, the turnout was an impressive 72.48 per cent so far. In 2014, the turnout was 73.23 per cent.
According to the poll officials, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) failed to function in some booths and were subsequently replaced. Many leaders, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, expressed their concern over the faulty voting machines.
However, Kerala's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Teeka Ram Meena clarified that he had already informed everyone that if it rained a night before voting, the machines might take a while to be ready due to the humidity.
"This is not a state-wide problem, but happened only at a few places. The glitches have been rectified," Meena said.
Most top leaders and film stars cast their votes in the morning session. Kerala Governor P. Sathasivam and his wife cast their votes in Thiruvananthapuram.
Vijayan, who was seen waiting in a queue with his family outside a booth in Kannur, said the fight this time was between the Left and the Congress-led UDF.
"The BJP is not going to make any impact. It will finish not second, but third in all the constituencies," he said.
Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala predicted a clean sweep for the Congress. "The Vijayan government will take a severe beating," he said.
After casting his vote in Kozhikode, state BJP President P.S. Sreedharan Pillai claimed that a few surprises would spring up when the results are announced.
Superstar Mammootty, who cast his vote in Kochi, encouraged the people to use their right to vote. "This is the only time people get to choose who will represent them," he said.
Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy cast his vote at his hometown Puthupally in Kottayam. "The United Democratic Front (UDF) will do very well as this time it's going to be a 'vote against Modi in the Centre and against Vijayan in the state'," he said.
Mocking Chandy's forecasts, CPI-M state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said: "His predictions in earlier elections have all fallen flat. Just wait and watch, the Left will better its 2014 performance in the state."
Hyderali Shihab Thangal, the state President of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), UDF's second-biggest constituent, was seen waiting in the queue before polling started in Malappuram, where it has been raining heavily.
"Both our candidates, Kunhalikutty and E.T. Mohammed Basheer, as well as Rahul Gandhi will win with record margins. The Congress-led UDF will score an excellent victory," he said.
Congress candidate Hibi Eden and his wife were the first voters at the Mamangalem polling booth in Ernakulam constituency. "We expect to come out with shining colours," Eden told the media.
Comedian and Lok Sabha MP Innocent, who is seeking a second term as the CPI-M-supported Independent candidate from Chalakudy constituency, was also spotted in the queue along with his family.
Congress-led UDF candidate N.K. Premachandran and his wife cast their votes early in Kollam. "I've faced a smear campaign, but I am confident that I will win easily," he said.
A record 227 candidates are trying their luck for Kerala's 20 Lok Sabha seats.
A total of 2,61,51,534 voters, including 1,34,66,521 women, 1,26,84,839 men and 174 belonging to the 'other' gender, were eligible to exercise their franchise in 24,970 polling stations spread across 14 districts.
Sabarimala: Will it, won't it impact Kerala polls
As electorate in Kerala queue up to cast their vote on Tuesday, the big question on everyone's mind is whether and how will the Sabarimala temple controversy impact their decision.
Since September 28 last year, when the Supreme Court ordered the shrine to open its doors to all women, the state has been torn between Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government firm on implementing the order and the Hindutva brigade led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) adamant on protecting its sacred traditions and customs.
The situation worsened early this year, after the state police managed to get two women, from the hitherto banned age group, inside the temple for a darshan.
Soon after the announcement of the election dates, the state's Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena came under fire from the Centre after he warned political parties, at his first press conference, against using the Sabarimala issue to seek votes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself brought up the issue at a rally in Kozhikode, and so did BJP President Amit Shah, who has been using it extensively in his campaign.
Not willing to be labelled "anti-Hindu", the Congress too maintained a soft approach on the apex court verdict. After casting his vote in Vadakara, State Congress President Mullapally Ramachandran said, "Our stand on the controversy has always been the same. Faith and traditions should be protected and must never be used for politics."
However, the Ezhava and the Nair communities that make up 54 per cent of Kerala's 1.82 crore Hindus (88.03 lakh men and 94.79 lakh women) hold diametrical views on the Sabarimala issue.
Nair Service Society (NSS) General Secretary G.Sukumaran Nair, who voted in Kottayam district, said: "I am sure people will cast their votes realistically, so that democracy triumphs. We believe that the government is responsible for protecting faith and traditions of a state.
"But here the state government acted hastily to implement the Supreme Court order. We have not given any directive to our community in this regard. But this issue will affect the outcome of the elections, to a certain extent," said Nair.
Ezhava socio-cultural body -- Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam General Secretary Vellapally Natesan told IANS that Sabarimala was an issue only in certain pockets and may not have a pan-Kerala impact.
"We (SNDP) are not a political party and we don't force our views on our members. They will act as per their conscience. But what I can tell you is that the BJP's vote share is likely to increase. One will have to wait and see, what it is going to be," said Natesan.
Incidentally, Natesan's son Tushar Vellapally is the Chairperson of the Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) -- the second biggest Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally in the state. But Natesan keeps a safe distance from the BDJS politics, as he is more inclined towards P. Vijayan.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP finished a close second in Thiruvananthapuram, and a distant third in the other constituencies with a 10.33 per cent vote share, which rose to 15.10 per cent in the 2016 Assembly polls.
Having taken up the Sabarimala issue in a big way, the party expects the picture to be slightly better in constituencies such as Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad and Pathanamthitta (where the Sabarimala temple is located).
Kerala BJP President P.S.Sreedharan Pillai told IANS that many, including election officials, tried to prevent it bringing up the issue in the campaign.
"But it kept coming back because it is one of the main issues. We never went out of the way to rake it up, as everyone knows what happened in Kerala. This has certainly helped us and we are hopeful of opening our account in the state this time," said Pillai.
State BJP General Secretary M.T. Ramesh, who coordinated Modi's Kerala visit, too called the row a "clincher". "Even if it was one of issues, it's going to be a clincher for us, especially in the southern districts (Thiruvananthapuram and Pathanamthitta). We are in a strong position in Palakkad anyway, but this will also help us. We are going to do well," said Ramesh.
However, P. Vijayan has been silent on the matter. After casting his vote in Kannur, he said that the fight in Kerala was between the Congress-led UDF and the Left. "The BJP is not even going to come second in any constituency," he asserted.
10 voters drop dead in Kerala during LS polls
At least 10 deaths were reported from various places in Kerala on Tuesday while polling was underway for 20 Lok Sabha seats in the state. However, the Election Commission said it had nothing to do with voting.
The state poll panel asked the district collectorate to compile the figures as the incidents were reported in Kasargode, Kollam, Kannur, Ernakulam, Wayanad among others when Kerala voted in the third phase of the staggered process.
Among the dead were 84-year-old Rosamma in Kottayam, who fell unconscious as she was trying to enter an auto rickshaw to take her to the polling booth.
Three deaths were reported from Kannur district, where Venugopal collapsed soon after he returned home after casting his vote. He was rushed to a hospital, but could not be saved.
Mustafa, 52, from Tellicherry passed away at a polling station, while Vijaya, 65, collapsed while waiting in queue at a polling booth in Chokli.
Theresiyamma, 87, died after collecting her voter slip inside a booth near Ernakulam.
The other deaths were reported from Kollam where a 63-year-old man while speaking to a polling official developed uneasiness, collapsed and died.
In Wayanad, a tribal man Balan, 64, collapsed when on his way to cast his vote. In Alappuzha, too, Prabhakaran, 74, died on his way to a booth.
Papachen, 67, from Ranni died while waiting in the voting queue.
One middle-aged Baburaj while on his way to cast his vote at a booth in Kasargode also collapsed and died.
