RK Nagar records 77.68% polling

“As many as 1,638 polling officers were involved in the exercise, with 2,500 police personnel, 950 central police force, and 307 micro observers for assistance, while a 20-strong team monitored the webcast from 258 polling booths in the control room set up in Ripon Building,” a senior poll official said.

Though polling began at 8 am, a lot of people started queueing up from 6 am onwards.

The inverted order of ballot units was widely reported across the constituency causing a mix-up, especially for TTV Dinakaran, the independent candidate, who was supposed to be the first candidate in the third ballot unit against serial number 33. However, poll officials dismissed it as a mere mix-up and the issue was sorted out. “A few booth officials had arranged it in ascending order from right. It’s not a crime. But by convention, we are used to writing from left,” an official said.

Speaking to reporters, District Election Officer D Karthikeyan said they worked overnight attending to complaints of bribing of voters. Two complaints of bribery were received on Wednesday night, and were pursued. Two cases were registered in this connection.  “Complaints of faulty EVMs and VVPATs were received from a few locations and were attended to,” Karthikeyan said.  

Later in the day, EVMs were sealed and ferried to Queen Mary’s College, where they will be put in the strong room. The room would be guarded by policemen round the clock with a three-tier security until counting is completed on Sunday.