25 April,2019 04:42 PM IST | | PTI
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Thiruvananthapuram: A total of 347 cases have been registered in connection with the recent Lok Sabha polls in Kerala where the entire election exercise was by and large peaceful and the state registered a record voter turn out.
Politically volatile Kannur district had registered the most number of cases related to the violent incidents-79, while Kottayam the lowest-2, police figures said. The total number of cases registered this time was much lower compared to the 2016 Assembly elections, which stood at 613, it said.
"A total of 347 cases have been registered in connection with the violent incidents related to the Lok Sabha polls," DGP Loknath Behera said here in a statement. These were the cases registered since the day of the notification of the poll dates till the day of elections, he said. The state saw record polling on April 23 in the backdrop of effective measures taken by the police and home department, he added.
Kerala had witnessed a heavy polling of 77.68 per cent, the highest in 30 years, in the 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, where the ruling LDF and the opposition UDF put up a fierce fight to garner maximum seats.
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According to Election Commission sources, Kannur recorded the highest voting percentage of 41.8 as of 1 pm while Ponnani the lowest of 33.97 per cent. Wayanad, from where Rahul Gandhi is contesting, recorded 40.56 per cent votes, Thiruvananthapuram registered 38.19 and Pathanamthitta 40.26 per cent. Though complaints of technical glitches in voting machines were reported initially in various places, polling continued after the snags were rectified.
Long queues were seen across polling booths since morning, with a large number of women, senior citizens and first-time voters turning up to exercise their franchise. Two elderly persons collapsed and died while waiting to cast their votes in polling booths at Vatakara and Pathnamthitta constituencies, while another person, who returned home after voting, complained of uneasiness and died shortly thereafter, police said.
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