Polling begins on brisk note in Puthuppally
The Hindu
The by-poll was necessitated by the death of Oommen Chandy, a former Chief Minister and Congress veteran who represented the seat for a record 53-years long period, on July 18.
After the high-octane campaign lasting over three weeks, polling in the Puthuppally Assembly segment in Kottayam has begun on a positive note at 7 a.m. on September 5 with voters turning out in huge numbers.
As per official estimates, as many as 35,889 persons or 20.34% of the total electorate cast their votes in the first three hours after the polling began. Out of this, 19,157 are male voters and 16,732 are females.
The authorities have set up web-casting facilities in all 182 booths in the Assembly segment to monitor the proceedings from a control room. The proceedings began with a mock polling earlier in the day.
As many as 675 officials including 64 central Armed Police Force personnel have been deployed across the constituency to ensure security.
Also read | Parties’ Lok Sabha poll strategies likely to depend on Puthuppally result
The by-poll was necessitated by the death of Oommen Chandy, a former Chief Minister and Congress veteran who represented the seat for a record 53-years long period, on July 18.
While the Congress-led United Democratic Front has fielded his son Chandy Oommen, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front has fielded Jaick C. Thomas, who had unsuccessfully contested from the seat in 2016 and 2021. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has fielded G. Lijin Lal as its candidate.
Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten stated that “not so great decision making” contributed to his side’s defeat to India in the Group-A T20 World Cup clash here on Sunday. The batting unit came apart in the chase, after being well placed at 72 for two. With 48 runs needed from eight overs, Pakistan found a way to panic and lose. “Maybe not so great decision making,” Kirsten said at the post-match press conference, when asked to explain the loss.
“We are judges and therefore, cannot act like Mughals of a bygone era ... the writ courts in the guise of doing justice cannot transcend the barriers of law,” the High Court of Karnataka observed while setting aside an order of a single judge, who in 2016 had extended the lease of a public premises allotted to a physically challenged person to 20 years contrary to 12-year period stipulated in the law.