Thiruvananthapuram, April 13: In the Kerala Assembly elections held on April 9, an impressive 79.63% of voters participated, bringing the turnout close to 80%. This information was released on Monday.
Chief Electoral Officer Ratan U. Khelkar stated that this estimate includes votes cast through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and postal ballots.
The initial turnout reported at the end of voting was 78.27%. These figures are based on data submitted by presiding officers. Additionally, the final voter percentage is expected to rise slightly as nearly 53,000 service votes are fully counted.
Service voters can register their names at their original locations, even if they reside elsewhere due to their postings. Khelkar clarified that there was no delay in releasing the data, emphasizing that it took only three days to ensure accuracy and proper verification.
Women voters were notably active in this election, with a turnout of 81.19%, significantly higher than the 75.19% recorded for men. The transgender category saw a voter turnout of 56.04%.
Among essential service employees, voting reached 94.24%, while 96.37% of those on election duty cast their votes.
According to previous figures released by the Election Commission, out of approximately 145,000 officers on duty, 135,068 voted, while around 9,932 votes are still being accounted for.
District-wise data indicates that Thiruvananthapuram had the highest participation (15,007), while Wayanad recorded the lowest (3,298). These figures pertain to the period from March 31 to April 8.
In response to opposition leader V.D. Satheesan’s criticism regarding the alleged delay in releasing voting data, Khelkar asserted that the process was entirely transparent. He noted that postal ballots were collected in the presence of representatives from political parties, and booth-level data was made available to all parties, leaving no room for ambiguity.
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P.S.K.
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