Thiruvananthapuram, April 9 A 33 percent voter turnout was recorded in the first four hours of polling in the Kerala Assembly elections on Thursday, officials said.
The crucial elections will determine whether the ruling LDF will secure a straight third term, or if the UDF makes a comeback, or if the BJP surprises everyone in what is otherwise a bipolar contest.
According to Election Commission (EC) figures, by 11 am, 33.28 percent of the voters had cast their votes.
The ruling LDF is striving to retain power, relying on the governance and welfare model of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The Congress-led UDF is seeking to regain power, aiming to end a decade of Left rule in the state. Amidst this traditionally bipolar contest, the BJP-led NDA is looking to disrupt the duopoly of the LDF and UDF and aims to translate its growing vote share into a decisive presence in the state assembly.
By 11 am, the Ernakulam district led with the highest polling percentage, at 35.86 percent, according to EC figures.
On a constituency-by-constituency basis, the highest polling percentage was seen in Thripunithura at 40.6 percent, while the lowest was in Vengara at 33.28 percent.
Polling in all 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala commenced at 7 am.
Prominent political leaders and personalities who cast their votes in the morning included Chief Minister Vijayan, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan, Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi, KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, and actor Mohanlal.
Polling was conducted amidst tight security arrangements, including the deployment of over 76,000 security personnel and live monitoring of the election process by an extensive webcasting system.