Postal vote counting begins even as vote counting kick-starts in Coimbatore to decide the outcome of 137 candidates in the fray
Coimbatore: Counting of votes for 10 Assembly constituencies in Coimbatore district kick-started at 8 am today, at the Coimbatore Government College of Technology (GCT) campus in the presence of 10 counting supervisors, candidates and agents appointed by the Election Commission of India.
The route to arrive at the counting center for government officials and agents was separated. All government employees, candidates and agents who arrived at the counting center had to mandatorily produce COVID-19 negative test reports to be allowed entry. They were also not allowed to carry their cell phones into the counting center.
Only the Election Commission Monitoring officer and the Election Officer were allowed to carry their cell phones into the campus. First, the postal votes by the military followed by the postal votes by Government employees, the elderly over the age of 80 and the disabled were counted. 2 tables were set up for each constituency for counting postal votes. This was followed by the counting of votes recorded in the electronic voting machines at 8.30 am. The details of the counting of votes were recorded table-wise. The counting of votes is also being recorded on video. At each table is an officer, an assistant, and a micro-observer from the Centre. Those who entered the counting center at GCT wore masks, amidst four layers of tight police security in and around the counting center.
Assembly elections were held in Tamil Nadu on April 6 in a single phase. District Collector Nagarajan was appointed as the Election Officer for Coimbatore district which has a total of 10 assembly constituencies. There are 15,09,531 male voters, 15,52,799 female votes and 414 third gender voters, totaling to 30,62,744 voters.
4427 polling booths were set up in the 10 assembly constituencies of which 901 polling stations were identified as tense polling stations where elections were held with strict security measures.
137 candidates along with 65 independent candidates were shortlisted for the 10 assembly constituencies, to contest the elections. There were 126 male candidates and 11 female candidates. The maximum number of contestants in a constituency was 21 each in Coimbatore South and Singanallur constituencies, and 20 in Coimbatore North constituency.
On election day, Coimbatore district recorded 75.16 percent voting with Mettupalayam recording 75.49 percent, Kavundampalayam 66.11 percent, Coimbatore North 59.08 percent, Thondamuthur 71.04 percent, Coimbatore South 60.72 percent, Singanallur 61.68 percent, Kinathukadavu 70.30 percent, Pollachi 77.28 percent and Valparai 70.10 percent. All electronic voting machines were stored amidst tight security at the Government Technical College, Thadagam Road, Coimbatore.
In Coimbatore district, 9.76 lakh voters that is 31.68 percent, did not vote. Only 21,05,673 voters that is 68.32 percent voted in the district. 31.68 percent means that 9,76,355 voters failed to vote. Of 15,19,027 male voters, 10,49,917 voted which averages at 69.12 percent. There are 15,62,573 female voters of which 10,55,653 voted, which means only 67.65 percent voted. Coimbatore has more female voters than male voters but the percentage of women voter turnout was 2 percent less than men. Voter turnout this year had increased by 0.16 percent compared to the previous elections in 2016.