Despite the heat waves in Kerala claiming four lives including a polling agent, voters in the state braved the elements and came out of their homes and offices to exercise their franchise on Friday in all the 20 constituencies. The voting percentage has dropped compared to previous general elections. However, even as the authorities are in the process of crunching the numbers and the final picture may emerge only on Saturday, the latest available data puts the voter turnout at 70.22 per cent.

Interestingly, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had already cautioned about heat waves from April 24 to April 26, as temperature had almost touched 41 degrees. And on April 26 the temperature varied between 36 to 38 degrees, in some parts of Kerala. The state disaster management had cautioned the public at large to take precautions to prevent heatstroke.