The Hindu 26.10.2010
77% polling in Malappuram
Staff Reporter
| Highest polling of 81 per cent in Tirur municipality |
MALAPPURAM: Malappuram district registered 77 per cent polling in the election to the local bodies in the district. The polling was peaceful and incident-free. When polling closed at 5 p.m., at least a dozen booths had several voters waiting in queue. At Vakad near Tanur, polling continued late into evening. Municipalities in the district registered 74.63 per cent polling. While Tirur municipality marked the highest polling (81 per cent), Ponnani saw the lowest (73 polling).
Seventy-nine per cent of voters exercised their franchise in Malappuram municipality. In Manjeri municipality, the figure was 78.75 per cent while in Kottakkal municipality, it was 75. Nilambur municipality saw 77.66 per cent polling, and Perinthalmanna, 79 per cent.
Indian Union Muslim League State president Syed Hyder Ali Shihab Thangal cast his vote at CKMLP School, Panakkad, and State general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty at DU Higher Secondary School, Panakkad.
As many as 8,833 security personnel were deployed to ensure smooth elections in the district, which had the largest number of voters, candidates, and polling booths in the State. As many as 4,080 polling stations were arranged in 1,719 buildings for the 25.83 lakh voters of Malappuram. There were 8,072 candidates contesting in 2,439 wards of 100 grama panchayats, 15 block panchayats, seven municipalities, and the district panchayat. Nearly 46 per cent of the candidates were women (3,671).
There were 6,231 candidates in grama panchayats, 777 in block panchayats, 920 in municipalities, and 144 in the district panchayat. The election cell set up at the district police headquarters under DySP A.S. Raju monitored security situation across the district.
Police personnel were deployed in 175 groups to man the booths. There were 14 groups in Tirur police station limit alone. Each group was in charge of 15 too 30 polling booths. As many as 254 booths in the district were identified sensitive, and 50 vulnerable. However, no untoward incident was reported from any of these booths.
Two collapse, die
Two persons died during voting in the district. Kunhimohammed Thazhatthethil, 80, collapsed and died while waiting to vote in a queue in Ponmala panchayat. M.K. Ayub, 37, an IUML worker, collapsed and died near a polling booth at Narukara near Manjeri.
