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Thrikkakara bypolls: 68.75% turnout recorded in Kochi
The Thrikkakara by-election was necessitated after the death of sitting legislator P T Thomas in December last year. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) fielded his widow Uma Thomas. Joe Joseph, a cardiologist, is the candidate of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded its senior leader A N Radhakrishnan.
Despite the high-voltage campaigning from all parties, the voting percentage in the Thrikkakara by-election in Kochi dropped by two per cent on Tuesday as only 68.75% voted against the 71.12% in 2021, according to Kerala election commission statistics.
The by-election was necessitated after the death of sitting legislator P T Thomas in December last year. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) fielded his widow Uma Thomas.
Joe Joseph, a cardiologist, is the candidate of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded its senior leader A N Radhakrishnan.
Ernakulam District Collector Jafar Malik said a total of 1,35,320 votes were polled out of the 1,96,805 electorate in the constituency. Till 6 PM, Thrikkakara witnessed a turnout of 68,167 female voters and 67,152 male voters. The lone transgender voter too exercised the voting rights.
The district information office said out of the 1,01,530 female voters, 67.13 per cent voted while 70.48 per cent of the 95,274 male voters exercised their rights.As the voting, which began at 7 AM and concluded at 6 PM, the electronic voting machines were shifted to the strong rooms. The votes will be counted on June 3.
During the polling, which began at 7 am and ended at 6 pm, Kochipolice arrested an impersonator when he tried to cast vote in the name of a person, who was staying abroad.
The Congress alleged that the person was a worker of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), a youth wing of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M), and was disowned by the party.
However, CPI(M) state secretary, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan alleged that it was the UDF which encouraged bogus voting.
“However, till now, no complaint has been filed by any presiding officer regarding any bogus voting,” police told PTI.
Police said a tender vote was cast after a question of identity was raised against a voter.
According to Section 49P of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, if a voter realises that someone has already voted in her name, she can approach the presiding officer at the polling booth and flag the issue.
UDF candidate Uma Thomas, who cast her vote along with family members, exuded confidence in her win and said that even nature blessed her as there was no rainfall.
“I have good confidence. God’s blessings with me. PT’s soul is with me (her husband). I am confident that the people of Thrikkakara will accept me in their minds. Even nature also blessed me. There is no rain yet,” said Thomas.
UDF candidate Uma Thomas told the media that her party will file a case against the CPI(M) in the matter of alleged bogus voting.
In the 2021 election, P T Thomas had polled 59,839 votes while his opponent CPI (M)-backed independent J Jacob came second with 45,410 votes and BJP candidate S Saji got over 14,000 votes. Meanwhile, Twenty20, a political party backed by an industrial group here, had fielded a candidate in 2021 and secured 13,897 votes. With a general acceptance of stakes being quite high, leaders of all three fronts campaigned vigorously for the by-poll.
With agency inputs
