Huge polling in 5 States
Voters undergo thermal screening as they stand in a queue to cast their votes at a polling station during the third phase of West Bengal Assembly elections. (L)
BJP leader E Sreedharan and his wife Radha Sreedharan
Assam registers 82% voter turnout, Bengal 78%, Kerala 70%, TN 65%, Puducherry 79%
New Delhi: Voting for more than 750 constituencies spread across four States and one Union Territory concluded on Tuesday. The final polling percentage recorded in the States is — Assam (82.33%), Kerala (70.29%), Tamil Nadu (65.19%), West Bengal (77.68%) and Puducherry (78.90%).
Polling was largely peaceful in Tamil Nadu with top leaders, including AIADMK's K Palaniswami, O Panneerselvam, DMK chief M K Stalin and celebrities like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan exercising their franchise.
Top actor Vijay rode a bicycle to the polling booth. No untoward incident was reported. Chief Minister Palaniswami accompanied by his grandson, cast his vote at Siluvampalayam in his native Salem district.
In Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is contesting from Dharmadam in Kannur, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala (Haripad), Senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy (Puthupally), BJP state president K Surendran, trying his luck from Konni and Manjewswaram and 'Metroman' E Sreedharan, (Palakkad) were among those who cast their votes.
In Puducherry, former Puducherry CM and Congress leader V. Narayanasamy, NR Congress chief and former Puducherry CM N Rangaswamy and BJP Puducherry President V Saminathan were among the leaders who cast their votes early.
Earlier in the day, AIADMK's Babu Murugavel has filed a complaint against DMK leader and MK Stalin's son Udhayanidhi Stalin for violating Model Code of Conduct. Udhayanidhi Stalin went to vote while wearing a shirt with party logo.
In Bengal, the Election Commission suspended a sector officer after three EVMs and four VVPAT machines were found at TMC leader Goutam Ghosh's residence.
Meanwhile, the TMC has accused BJP workers of chasing and hurting party leader Sujata Mondal near a polling booth and urged the EC to take cognisance of the issue.
