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On a polling day that saw a large number of voters rushing to polling stations right from the morning, Kozhikode district recorded a polling percentage of 72.82 by 8 p.m. even as several people waited outside the booths for their turn to cast votes.
As many as 19,32,961 voters including 9,07,720 men, 10,25,228 women and 13 transgenders cast their votes in the two Lok Sabha constituencies in the district.
Elamaram Kareem, LDF candidate, casting his vote at Savio Higher Secondary School in Kozhikode | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
The Kozhikode constituency that consists of Balussery, Elathur, Kozhikode North, Kozhikode South, Beypore, Kunnamangalam and Koduvally assembly constituencies recorded 72.97% polling, while the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency that consists of Vadakara, Kuttiady, Nadapuram, Koyilandy, Perambra, Thalassery and Koothuparamba assembly segments recorded 73.25% polling by 8 p.m.
UDF candidate M.K.Raghavan casting his vote at Mathrubandhu Vidyasala LP School in Kozhikode | Photo Credit: K. Ragesh
The polling process was rather uneventful though there were complaints that it was rather slow. There were allegations of faults in the electronic voting machines in two booths in the Kozhikode North Assembly segment, where voters complained that the symbol against which the lights flickered were not the ones that they voted for. However, District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh brushed aside the charges. The allegation proved false in booth no. 17 where a test vote was carried out later in the presence of the complainant. The voter who made the wrong allegation was arrested by the Elathur police. There was also a similar allegation from booth no. 83 in the same constituency. However, the complainant refused to cast a test vote, the Collector said.
BJP leader M.T. Ramesh, who is also the partys candidate for Kozhikode Lok Sabha constituency, after casting his vote at the Government College of Physical Education, East Hill in Kozhikode. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
‘Open votes’ (assisted votes) also caused some trouble in two booths. The presiding officers in booths 61 and 162 in the Kozhikode constituency were changed after they allegedly made mistakes in following the guidelines regarding open votes. Later, the Collector instructed the other presiding officers to ensure that the guidelines were strictly followed. The presiding officers were asked to allow the companion of an able voter to accompany him/her only up to the voting compartment. However, in cases where the voter is unable to cast vote due to some issues, including blindness, the companion could be allowed to cast vote on their behalf.
However, the issue did not sit well with political parties. Former MLA A. Pradeep Kumar, also the election agent of LDF candidate Elamaram Kareem, complained to the Election Commission against the returning officer’s ‘unlawful’ act of denying ‘companion votes’ to blind and infirm voters across the district. In the complaint filed online, Mr. Pradeep Kumar pointed out that the returning officer had issued a direction to the presiding officers to disallow ‘companion votes’ as prescribed under rule 49 N of the election rules, causing chaos among voters.
“Many blind and infirm voters who were brought to the polling stations along with their companions to cast their votes were sent back unnecessarily. Some of them are waiting there [at the polling stations], expecting that the returning officer will reconsider their rights,” the complaint says. He has termed it a “clear incidence of misuse of power and authority”.
