Vengara voting ends on a high note

Wednesday 11 October 2017 09:03 PM IST

by Onmanorama Staff

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Long queues were spotted at various polling booths even before the voting began at 7 am

Vengara Votes

• Vengara voting ends on a high note

• Polling percentage: 71.99%, Vengara sets a record.

• Main fight was between IUML's K.N.A Khader and CPM's PP Basheer

• Basheer among early voters, expresses confidence in electorate

• The counting will be on October 15 (Sunday)

• The voting was held from 7 am to 6 pm.

• There are 165 polling booths in the constituency and 1.7 lakh voters.

Malappuram: About 71.9 per cent of the total 1.7 lakh electorate on Wednesday cast their votes in the by-poll to the Vengara assembly constituency in Malappuram district, collectorate sources said.

Malappuram district collector Amit Meena said, polling was incident free.

LDF candidate P.P. Basheer was one of the early voters in Vengara.

"There were some initial hiccups reported in the functioning of the machines from some places. They were immediately replaced," the collector said.

Of the total electorate, 87,750 are men and 82,259 women, the sources said.

The main fight in Vengara is between IUML's K.N.A Khader (L), and CPM's P.P. Basheer (M). BJP's candidate K. Janachandran is another notable candidate

Long queues were spotted at various polling booths even before the voting began at 7 am. LDF candidate P.P. Basheer was one of the early voters. Basheer, who turned up at the polling booth along with his family, expresses confidence in the electorate.

They said 148 polling stations had been set up, besides 17 auxiliary booths in 90 places in the constituency.

Vengara Votes

An election is a celebrated event in Kerala, with even the elderly stepping out of the comforts of their homes to exercise their franchise. Photo: Sameer A. Hameed
Vengara Votes

UDF candidate KNA Khader at one of the polling booths in Vengara. Photo: Sameer A Hameed
Vengara Votes

It was work-cum-family outing for LDF candidate P.P. Basheer who reached the polling booth along with his near and dear ones.
Vengara Votes

NDA candidate Janachandran on a visit to one of the polling booths in Vengara.Photo: Sameer A Hameed
Vengara Votes

Security of the polling booths & the safety of the voters: a police personnel lends a helping hand to an elderly woman. Photo: Sameer A Hameed
Vengara Votes

All for a good cause: police personnel join civilians in helping a physically challenged woman to vote during Vengara by-poll. Photo: Sameer A Hameed

Polling was held between 7.00 am and 6.00 pm., in which 236 VVPAT machines were used, they said.

The main fight in Vengara is between IUML's K.N.A Khader, who earlier represented nearby Vallikkunnu segment in the assembly between 2011 and 2016, and CPM's P.P. Basheer.

Counting of votes will be held on October 15.

The by-poll was necessitated after IUML leader P.K. Kunhalikutty vacated the seat to successfully contest the Malappuram Lok Sabha segment.

(With inputs from PTI)