Chennai Central records the lowest turnout of 53.91% among the 3 constituencies

Chennai Central Parliamentary Constituency sees peaceful voting with low turnout in the morning, increasing in the evening.

Polling in Central Chennai Parliamentary Constituency was largely peaceful on Friday. Turnout in many polling booths in the constituency remained low in the morning and further dipped in the afternoon. However, the voters turned up in large numbers in the evening in several booths, increasing the polling percentage. 

Polling in a few booths in the constituency ended late in the evening after tokens were issued to electors who gathered inside the booths before the end of poll. For instance, a large number of electors in a cluster of seven polling booths at Sundaram Street in Chennai Corporation ward 99 in Choolai gathered late in the evening to vote. Officials had to intervene to control the commotion after tokens were issued to many voters. Voting ended peacefully in the cluster of polling booths in Chennai Middle School and CSI Middle School in Sundaram Street only after 7.45 p.m.

First-time voters were found in many booths in the evening in areas such as Royapettah, Alwarpet, Vepery, Anna Nagar, Villivakkam, Chepauk, Triplicane, and Egmore. 

After Chennai district election office received complaints that some individuals were distributing booth slips with symbols of political parties in the city, officials ordered the police to take precautions to prevent such incidents.  Officials at the control room in Ripon Buildings regulated the crowd in several polling booths of the constituency. 

Most of the commercial establishments, including hotels in the constituency, remained closed on Friday. A large number of newly-purchased wheelchairs in the booths of the constituency remained unused without opening the packaging on Friday as persons with disabilities did not turn up.