Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor and Union minister Alphons Kannamthanam and BJP leader Kummanam Rajashekharan are among the key contenders
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Thiruvananthapuram: An average voter turnout of 38.81 per cent was registered till 1 pm Tuesday in Kerala as heavy polling was witnessed in the elections to 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor and Union minister Alphons Kannamthanam and BJP leader Kummanam Rajashekharan are among the key contenders.
According to Election Commission sources, Kannur recorded the highest voting percentage of 41.8 as of 1 pm while Ponnani the lowest of 33.97 per cent. Wayanad, from where Rahul Gandhi is contesting, recorded 40.56 per cent votes, Thiruvananthapuram registered 38.19 and Pathanamthitta 40.26 per cent. Though complaints of technical glitches in voting machines were reported initially in various places, polling continued after the snags were rectified.
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Long queues were seen across polling booths since morning, with a large number of women, senior citizens and first-time voters turning up to exercise their franchise. Two elderly persons collapsed and died while waiting to cast their votes in polling booths at Vatakara and Pathnamthitta constituencies, while another person, who returned home after voting, complained of uneasiness and died shortly thereafter, police said.
State Governor P Sathasivam, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Ramesh Chenntithala of Congress and a host of political leaders and film stars were among the prominent people who cast their franchise so far. The three major fronts -- CPI-M led LDF, Congress-headed UDF and BJP-led NDA - are locked in a close fight in many constituencies.
A total of 2.61 voters have to choose from 227 candidates, including 23 women, who are in the fray in the state. The strength of first-time voters in Kerala is 2.88 lakh in the age group of 18-19. The polling, which commenced at 7 am, would end at 6 PM.
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