Landslide voting in Piravom

PIRAVOM: In one of the most crucial and bitterly-fought  byelections in the state, Piravom registered a record  turnout of 86.3 percent on Saturday. The feverish pace of voting was an indication of the widespread  interest it had aroused and the highest voting percentage in the constituency’s history showed the intensity of the battle.  It will be nail-biting suspense for the state till the results are out on Wednesday.The poll percentage in the 2011 election, when T M Jacob scraped through with a margin of 157 votes, was 79.08. In most of the 134 polling booths in the constituency, heavy polling was recorded right from the beginning. In an hour, the percentage touched 9.4  and rose to 16.25 by 9 am.  Long queues were seen at almost all polling stations even after the deadline. In the morning itself,  there were clear indications that the voting percentage may reach an all-time high. There was  a steady increase in polling percentage in panchayats like Piravom, Mulamthuruthy and Chottanikkara where UDF is considered to have an upper hand.The voting percentage in Elanji, a UDF stronghold, was not very high compared to other panchayats. Voter turnout in panchayats like Koothattukulam where LDF has a strong base was also high. Maneed and Thirumarady panchayats registered the highest voting figures. The poll percentage crossed 90 in nine polling stations.  The heavy polling percentage has boosted the  hopes of both the UDF and the LDF. Traditionally, increased voter turnout is found to favour the UDF. However, the Left camp is of the view that the high percentage will only add to M J Jacob’s winning margin. Both the fronts claimed that higher voting would favour them.UDF candidate Anoop Jacob cast his vote as the first voter at booth No 107 at Mannathoor Government HSS while M J Jacob had to wait for about an hour at booth No 108 at Manimalakkunnu Government College to exercise his franchise.  M J Jacob was confident of winning with a big majority. “Increased polling would ensure higher majority for the LDF, nothing else,” said a confident Jacob, who opted to stay away from entering polling stations.  On the other hand, Anoop Jacob entered booths and greeted voters. “There’s no doubt about the result. UDF is going to retain the seat,” Anoop opined. The ongoing Jacobite-Orthodox tussle has also reflected in the higher turnout in the constituency with 1.83 lakh electorate.  The final polling percentage in the 12 panchayats is as follows. Mulamthuruthy (86), Thiruvankulam (85), Chottanikkara (86.5), Edakkattuvayal (88.3), Amballoor (87.5), Elanji (82.5), Koothattukulam (84.9), Piravom (84.6), Thirumarady (88.5), Maneed (89.5), Pambakkuda (86.9) and Ramamangalam (86).