Heavy rains lashed Kerala on Monday where bypolls are being held. Braving heavy rains, early voters queued up at polling stations in the five assembly constituencies in Kerala.
A total of 9.57 lakh voters are expected to participate in the bypolls being held in Vattiyoorkavu (Thiruvananthapuram), Aroor (Alapuzha), Konni (Pathnamthitta), Ernakulam and Manjeshwaram (Kasaragod). A total of 896 polling stations have been set up in the constituencies.
According to TNIE Kerala, heavy rain and flooding caused worries to Ernakulam by-poll. Only 2.7 per cent polling in the first hour. Early reports also suggested, except Manjeshwaram, it is raining heavily in the four other constituencies. Most polling booths at Vattiyoorkavu had a deserted look in the initial hours of polling. In Vattiyoorkavu, only 4.99 % till 9 am. Earlier, reports suggested that voting in Ernakulam constituency could be postponed but later people started queueing up in polling booths.
All schools in Kochi are closed today, following heavy rainfall in the city. An orange alert has already been issued for the next two days, reported news agency ANI.
The ruling CPI(N)-led LDF, the main opposition Congress headed UDF and the BJP-NDA had put up a stiff fight to woo voters in all the five constituencies — four of which were held by the UDF and one by the LDF.
