Kerala voter turnout touches 79.70% after inclusion of postal ballots
text_fields
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s voter turnout in the April 9 Assembly elections has provisionally increased to 79.70 per cent following the inclusion of postal ballots cast by service voters, Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar said on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference, Kelkar noted that the polling percentage had initially stood at 79.63 per cent, excluding service voters’ postal ballots. A total of 53,984 postal ballots were issued to service voters, of which 20,028 had been received as of May 1.
He added that service voters are permitted to submit their postal ballots until the commencement of counting. Instructions have been issued to the postal department to ensure that all such ballots received—including those arriving on weekends and holidays—are promptly handed over to the respective returning officers.
“The inclusion of service voters’ ballots has raised the turnout by 0.07 percentage points, taking the tentative figure to 79.70 per cent,” Kelkar said, adding that the final turnout will be confirmed only after the Election Commission of India releases its official index card, typically 48 hours after counting.
Counting of votes across all 140 Assembly constituencies will begin at 8 am on Monday at 43 centres across the state. In line with Election Commission guidelines, postal ballots will be counted first, followed by Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) votes after a 30-minute interval.
Round-wise counting data will be uploaded in real time on the Election Commission’s mobile application and its official results portal.
For the counting process, 15,465 personnel have been deployed, while 32,301 police personnel—including 20 companies of Central Armed Police Forces—have been assigned to ensure security at counting centres. Each constituency will also have a dedicated counting observer, primarily senior IAS officers, to oversee proceedings.
Entry into counting centres will be restricted to individuals with QR-based identity cards. Kelkar emphasised that counting staff and security personnel have undergone extensive training and have been instructed to prioritise accuracy over speed.
“There is no award for finishing first. However, any lapse will invite strict disciplinary action,” he said.
District administrations have been authorised to regulate or restrict victory processions to maintain law and order. The Model Code of Conduct will remain in effect until May 6 or until it is formally withdrawn.
Kelkar also cautioned against the spread of misinformation regarding election results, warning that legal action will be taken against those disseminating false information. He urged the public to rely solely on official updates issued by the Election Commission.
With PTI inputs