Manjeshwaram bypolls: 74.81 per cent voter turnout; woman held for bogus voting

Kasaragod: The bypolls to Manjeshwaram and four other assembly constituencies in Kerala was held peacefully on October 21 with the tentative overall voter turnout touching 70 per cent. No untoward incidents were reported, officials said.

As per the tentative figures, the voter turnout in Manjeshwaram touched 74.81 per cent while Aroor recorded the highest turnout of 80.26 per cent till around 7 pm, government sources said, adding heavy rains marred polling in Ernakulam where the voter turnout was the lowest– 57.67 per cent.

Konni witnessed a voter turnout of 69.99 per cent and Vattiyoorkavu 62.59 per cent, the sources said.

A woman was arrested in Manjeshwaram in Kasaragod for impersonation as she allegedly tried to cast bogus vote in a booth. She was later released on bail.

Except for Manjeshwaram, the constituencies of Konni, Vattiyoorkavu and Aroor were affected by rains till noon, but worst hit was Kochi city and nearby areas in Ernakulam.

Bypolls to Majeshwaram was necessitated following the death of the sitting MLA of the IUML, a coalition partner of the UDF, while in the remaining four constituencies, the polls were necessitated after legislators quit following their successful foray into the Lok Sabha.