"78.27% is the final polling percentage:" State Chief Electoral Officer, Rathan Kelkar on Keralam Elections

Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], April 13 : Keralam State Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar announced that the state witnessed a provisional voter turnout of 78.27% in the state Assembly elections, which were held on April 9, Thursday.

The Keralam Chief Electoral Officer mentioned that the final polling percentage will only become clear after the publication of the index card. He further noted that approximately 53,984 postal ballots have been distributed in the election.

"78.27% is the final polling percentage. Form 17C was distributed to all polling officials. This is provisional or temporary. Postal votes are not included here. The Service voters' list will only be available on the counting day. The final polling percentage will only be clear after the index card publication. Only then will the final count be published. 53,984 electronic postal ballots are distributed," said Kelkar.

He further mentioned that the disabled voter turnout stood at 91.71%, adding that the sanitisation of the electoral roll during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) resulted in an increase in the absolute number of voters in this election.

"91.71% is the polling percentage in the disabled category. Service voters' data is yet to be received. Form 17C was distributed at all polling stations. Poling teams cannot leave the booth before filing this form. An election is a massive exercise. All data should be consolidated. 3 days is a normal delay. Returning officers and district officers have the responsibility to submit clear and true figures. Political party representatives are included in every stage of this election. There is no place for confusion. Candidates and political party representatives can visit any of our facilitation centres. Every action was transparent, including postal vote consolidation. Postal ballot activities were also held in the presence of political parties. Election activities are rule-bound. If anyone has a complaint, they have to take legal recourse. Currently published data is not final. Final data will only be available after the index card publication," said Kelkar.

The Keralam Chief Electoral Officer also stated that the final index card will be published two days after the counting day.

"After the index card is officially published, assembly-wise categorical activity will be available. There was no delay in provisional data publication. The index card must be published 48hours before the counting day. If anyone couldn't vote, exclusive issues should be taken up with the Returning officers. The index card will be provided 2 days after the counting day. A live webcasting feed of the Strong Room is being provided. Political parties can watch this feed. The electoral roll has been sanitised after SIR. There is an impact after the SIR. There is an increase in absolute numbers," added Kelkar.

Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan lauded Keralam's voters for their enthusiastic participation in the ongoing elections, noting that polling in the state has been completed peacefully.

In a Facebook post, Vijayan expressed his heartfelt thanks to all voters who exercised their right to vote and contributed to the democratic process.

"Only a very short campaign time was available this time. However, the enthusiasm of the political activists who worked tirelessly despite the scorching summer heat is worth mentioning. The people who reached the polling booths despite the bad weather gave a glimpse of Keralam's high sense of democracy and high commitment to the country. This huge turnout is highly commendable," he wrote.

The Chief Minister further praised the role of election officials, police and central force members, health workers, volunteers, and others who ensured the smooth conduct of elections across the state.

"It is a great achievement that we were able to complete the polls peacefully without any untoward incident anywhere in the state. Special appreciation goes to the election officials who worked around the clock for the successful implementation of this massive process, the police-central force members who provided security, health workers, volunteers and others who worked at various levels," he added.

Vijayan concluded his message by reiterating Keralam's democratic spirit and calling for continued progress in the state.

"Heartfelt greetings once again to Kerala's sense of democracy and people's participation. Let us move forward together, for New Keralam," he wrote.

Polling for the 140-seat Keralam Legislative Assembly was completed on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.

Both the incumbent LDF and the Opposition Congress-led UDF are eyeing to breach the 71-seat mark, while the BJP-led NDA is looking to enter the Assembly via the gateway opened in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation polls.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor