Voter Turn Out Drops in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry

Campaigns could not ensure more voters to come out and vote in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.

Voters waiting outside a polling booth on in Tamil Nadu on Monday. (Photo: PTI)

The voter turn out in Assembly Elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry on Monday was less than the 2011 polls, the Election Commission (EC) said.

In Tamil Nadu, 69.19 percent voters turned out to cast their votes. Kerala witnessed 71.7 percent voters, a drop from the 75 percent in 2011.

Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha said that in the 2011 assembly polls, the figures were 78.12 percent and in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, it was 73.85 percent.

Despite heavy rains in eight districts of the state, voters still turned out in large numbers.

EC Director General Sudeep Jain said that ahead of polling, Rs 24 crore in cash was seized by authorities, which is a record in the state. In Puducherry, the voter turnout recorded at 6 pm was 71 percent, unlike the 75.12 percent in the 2011 assembly polls. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the turnout was recorded at 74.02 percent.