Women boost Vengara bypoll voter turnout to 71.99 per cent

Malappuram: Polling for the byelection to Vengara Assembly constituency concluded peacefully with a record voter turnout on Wednesday. 

Of the 1.7 lakh electorate, 71.99 per cent have been exercised their franchise. The polling was held from 7 am to 6 pm across 165 polling stations. 

Notably, the women voters in the male dominant constituency had a field day on the polling day. 65,863 of the total 82,259 female voters in the constituency turned out to vote in the bypoll while 56,516 voters of the total 87,550 male voters casted their vote. Vengara has once again kept its tradition of ever increasing voter turnout in elections. 

The byelection has registered an increase of 1.22 per cent voter turnout when compared to the figure of the 2016 Assembly elections in the constituency. Contrary to previous election, women voters turned up in large numbers in many parts of the constituency during the concluding hours of the polling.

The voting was interrupted at three booths in Othukkungal panchayat during the first hours of polling due to technical glitches. The polling resumed in no time at all the stations after resolving the minor issues. 

The first ever use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trial (VPAT) machines in the state along with electronic voting machines in Vengara has also proved a success, election authorities said. No untoward incidents were reported from any part of the constituency.

Among the candidates, LDF’s P.P Basheer was the only one as a voter of the constituency. He casted vote at Govt. U.P School at Mampuram in AR Nagar panchayat. 

UDF candidate K.N.A Khader, BJP’s K Janachandran and SDPI’s K.C Naseer were also visited various polling stations in the constituency.