Lok Sabha Elections: 80.5 per cent polling registered in Puducherry

Puducherry registered 80.5 per cent polling in the election to the lone Lok Sabha seat Thursday. Chief Electoral officer V Candavelou told reporters it was only a tentative figure and percentage of polling might go up as polling was going in some booths. He said of the 9.73 lakh voters spread over all the four regions of Puducherry Karaikal Mahe and Yanam, 7.84 lakh voters exercised their franchise.

The official also said polling went off peacefully and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere. On the by-election in Thattanchavady Assembly segment, Candavelou said 76 per cent of the 29,957 voters in the constituency exercised their franchise.

While Puducherry polled 81.3 per cent, Karaikal recorded 78.5 per cent, Mahe 67 per cent and Yanam region 84.8 per cent.

Eighteen contestants including former Speaker V Vaithilingam (Congress) and doctor turned politician K Narayanasamy (AINRC) were in the fray for the Lok Sabha poll.

The by-election in Thattanchavady Assembly segment involved a fight among eight contestants, including the AINRC candidate P Nedunchezian and DMK candidate K Venkatesan.