Protests broke out in Kurkanchery, Thrissur constituency
Fighting for vote
Protests broke out in Kurkanchery, Thrissur constituency, after a girl who had undergone hand surgery was denied the chance to vote. Polling officials refused permission for Akshara to cast her ballot because she couldn’t have ink applied to her injured index finger, which had been hurt in a mixer accident. Despite waiting since 1 p.m., the situation didn’t change until LDF leader VS Sunil Kumar and others arrived to protest. The incident gained media attention, prompting the Chief Electoral Officer to step in and confirm that, if it was verified Akshara hadn’t voted, ink could be applied to any finger. Around 6 p.m., Akshara was finally allowed to vote. Leaders blamed the denial on official negligence, pointing out that rules allowed using another finger for the ink mark.
Black shirt protest
UDF candidate from Puthupally constituency, Chandy Oommen, wore a black shirt on polling day to protest the injustice faced by his father, former chief minister late Oommen Chandy. "My decision to wear black was rooted in years of personal and political anguish. This day is not just about voting, but also about expressing dissent against the ruling LDF government." Referring to the solar corruption case, he said, "My family endured sustained attacks for nearly a decade, both when the LDF was in opposition and while in power. My father was later cleared by the CBI after a detailed probe."
Polling station catches attention
A booth in Kottayam caught people’s attention. Booth No. 95, set up in an anganwadi near the Thirunakkara temple, was entirely managed by differently abled individuals. From the presiding officer to the polling staff, every official was differently abled. Binu, a high school assistant who is completely blind, served as the presiding officer.
Man dies
A 62-year-old man collapsed and died shortly after casting his vote at Vaniampara on Thursday. The deceased, identified as Vinodan, was a native of Ramanchira. He arrived at EKM UP School in the morning to vote, waited in the queue for nearly an hour, and cast his ballot. He collapsed while leaving the booth.
