Kerala Elections: Keenly-watched seats see decrease turnout

Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The voter turnout within the meeting elections declined sharply from 77.35 per cent in 2016 to round 74.02 per cent (as of 10pm on Tuesday) this time. The preliminary evaluation primarily based on the provisional voting proportion launched by the Election Commission reveals {that a} appreciable variety of swing votes weren’t solid in round two dozen keenly-watched constituencies.

In 22 seats the place elections had created lots of public curiosity, polling dropped by 1-8 per cent from 2016. This implies that regardless of intensive campaigning, the three fronts did not deliver fence sitters to the cubicles. Such seats embrace  Kazhakoottam, Nemom, Konni, Palakkad, Pala and Thrissur.

 N M Pearson, political observer, stated, “The low turnout indicates absence of swing voters who often decide the winners in the race. But it’s hard to predict who will benefit from this as many constituencies have witnessed three-cornered fights.”

Normally, the Left used to profit from the low voter turnout. “But things have changed over the years and there was a considerable number of swing votes even among the rank and file of mainstream political parties today. Overall, there was a stark contrast in the campaigning of Left and UDF as the former sought the mandate projecting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, while there was a leadership uncertainty in the UDF,” he stated.  Political pundits additionally conceded that the controversies raised by the Opposition did not deliver voters to the cubicles.