Polling for Vellore Lok Sabha seat seen moderate

CHENNAI: Unofficial figures from the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency on Monday showed some 60 per cent polling in the voting to fill the 543rd seat in the lower house of Parliament.

Counting of votes takes place on Friday, August 9.

The polling, which was countermanded on April 18 when all the other 38 contituencies in the state voted, started on a dull note on Monday, reflecting lack of voter enthusiasm at the singled-out election. At 11am, officials said the average percentage of voting in the constituency was 14.61 per cent.

An estimated 1.88 million voters, one million of them women, were set to vote. Over 64,000 are projected to be between the age of 18-19 years. The turnout in the constituency in 2014 national elections was 74.76%.

Tight security was provided to all voting centres. Micro-observers took charge of the 133 sensitive polling booths in 68 identified locations.

Voters were bombarded by high-decibel campaigns of the ruling ADMK and rival DMK.

The election was rescinded in April based on the recommendation of the Election Commission following a report on the use of money power to influence voters.

The polls would show whether the anti-modi wave in Tamil Nadu that bucked the national trend will repeat yet again or the ADMK would get a chance to display its political prowess in this constituency. On Sunday, a CCTV camera, 11 computers, a photocopy and printing machine and a scanner went missing from a polling booth in Gudiyatham.

In Christianpet near Katpadi, a static surveillance team, deployed to curb poll code violations, seized 11 lakh while the amount was being transported in a car.

Despite an alleged recovery of huge money from DMK candidate Kathir Anand that forced the postponement of the election, the party chose to filed him again. If he wins, it would prove that the DMK’S charge of the BJP and ADMK “framing” him is true. If he loses in the traditional DMK bastion, it will not only signal that people have accepted the charges, but also that the voters have grown beyond party loyalties.

The ADMK has supported A C Shanmugham from ally New Justice Party. Shanmugam is contesting the seat for the third time. He had also served as Arni MLA in 1980 and Vellore MP in 1984. He lost to the ADMK candidate B Sengutuvan in 2014 Lok Sabha polls and was now contesting for the third time.