Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Kerala records 52.25 per cent voter turnout till 3 pm

Thiruvananthapuram: The second phase of the voting to the 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala began on Friday (April 26) at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. The vote counting will take place on June 4. April 4 was the deadline for nominations, while April 8 was the deadline for nomination withdrawals.

As of 1 pm, the polling in the state is 52.25 per cent. There is a long queue of people who have come to vote in many places. All the candidates and leaders came to vote early in the morning.

Here’s the constituency-wise list of voter-turnout percentage in Kerala till 3.00 pm :

1. Thiruvananthapuram- 50.49
2. Attingal- 53.21
3. Kollam- 50.85
4. Pathanamthitta- 50.21
5. Mavelikkara- 50.82
6. Alappuzha- 54.78
7. Kottayam- 51.24
8. Idukki- 50.92
9. Ernakulam- 51.24
10. Chalakudy-54.24
11. Thrissur-  53.40
12. Palakkad- 54.24
13. Alathur- 53.06
14. Ponnani- 41.53
15. Malappuram- 47.59
16. Kozhikode- 50.95
17. Wayanad- 53.87
18. Vadakara- 52.30
19. Kannur- 54.96
20. Kasaragod- 54.10

NDA candidate from Thrissur Suresh Gopi casts his vote at a polling station in Thrissur as Kerala votes on all 20 parliamentary constituencies in Lok Sabha polls today

"Our assessment is that we will get all 20 seats. There is a silent trend against the current state and Central government. I hope Congress-led INDIA front will come back....," says Kerala Opposition leader VD Satheesan after voting in Ernakulam.

Congress candidate from Alappuzha, KC Venugopal cast his vote at a polling booth in the constituency.

“I am confident that the people of Alappuzha will stand with me. After phase one of the Lok Sabha elections, the PM is panicking. I thank the PM for bringing the Congress manifesto into the public domain in a big way. In Kerala, UDF will sweep all 20 seats People of Wayanad, Kerala will show that they are with Rahul Gandhi," he said.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan cast his vote at polling station number 161 in Kannur on Friday.

Following his vote in Thiruvananthapuram during the second phase of Lok Sabha elections, Union Minister and BJP candidate from Attingal, V Muraleedharan, stressed the significance of the election, stating, "This election shapes our nation's future, and our citizens understand its gravity. We seek to continue the corruption-free governance under PM Narendra Modi's leadership over the past decade. I'm confident that the people of the Attingal constituency will align with the national sentiment."

Congress MP and Thiruvananthapuram candidate Shashi Tharoor stood in line outside a polling booth in the constituency, patiently waiting for his turn to exercise his voting rights.

Senior Congress leader AK Antony exercised his voting rights at a polling station in Thiruvananthapuram. Interestingly, his son, Anil Antony, is contesting from the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha seat as a BJP candidate.

Kerala, known for its vibrant political landscape, comprises 20 parliamentary constituencies. Among these, two constituencies—Alathur and Mavelikara—are specifically reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. Kerala's allocation of constituencies places it at the 12th position in terms of the total number of parliamentary seats within the country. 

A total of 194 candidates are in the fray and there are over 2.75 crore eligible voters in the state. There are a total of 2,77,49,159 registered voters, with over five lakh being first-time voters. Among the 20 constituencies, Kottayam has the highest number of candidates with 14, while Alathur has the fewest with five. Notable figures include 13 candidates in Kozhikode and 12 each in Kollam and Kannur.

Out of the 194 candidates contesting in Kerala, 169 are men and 25 are women. Vadakara constituency has the highest number of female candidates, with four women vying for the seat.

Kerala will witness high-profile contests in several seats such as Wayanad, Thiruvananthapuram, and Thrissur. In Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi is up against CPI's Annie Raja and BJP's state president K Surendran. 

In Thiruvananthapuram, seasoned politician Shashi Tharoor is facing off against BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar, setting the stage for a compelling electoral battle. Meanwhile, in Thrissur, the spotlight is on actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, who is contesting against K Muraleedharan of the Congress and VS Sunil Kumar of the CPI(M). 

In Kerala, the Congress has historically maintained a stronghold in the General Elections, consistently securing a significant number of seats. In the previous 17th Lok Sabha polls, the Congress demonstrated its dominance by winning 19 out of 20 seats in the state. As the 2024 Lok Sabha elections approach, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is gearing up for a competitive contest. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) is fielding candidates for 15 seats, while the Communist Party of India (CPI) is contesting in four seats, with Kerala Congress M (KCEM) vying for one seat. These developments set the stage for a keenly watched electoral battle, highlighting the enduring political dynamics of Kerala.

In the United Democratic Front (UDF) camp, the Indian National Congress (INC) is fielding candidates for 16 seats, while the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is contesting in 2 seats. Additionally, the Kerala Congress (KEC) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) are vying for one seat each under the UDF banner. The INC holds a prominent position within the UDF alliance, which also enjoys support from the Left Democratic Front (LDF). On the other side, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is represented by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), contesting for 16 seats, and the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), which is fielding candidates in four seats.

Despite its historical lack of success in securing seats in Kerala, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made notable strides in certain regions during the 2019 General Election. The BJP garnered significant vote shares from assembly segments within constituencies such as Kasaragod, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, and Attingal.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the United Democratic Front (UDF) emerged victorious in 19 out of the 20 seats in Kerala, with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) securing only one seat. Despite an increase in its vote share to 13 percent, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was unable to secure any seats.