The opposition Congress in Kerala has sought a probe into what it has termed serious lapses in the conduct of polling in the state.
Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan, who spearheaded the Congess-led United Democratic Front's (UDF) campaign for the Lok Sabha polls, alleged that the polling was neither free nor fair.
Satheesan' response came after the state recorded a lower turnout of voters, apparently much against the UDF's hopes, as Kerala went to polling booths on Friday to elect its 20 Lok Sabha members.
Though the official time for polling ended at 6 pm, long queues were seen outside polling booths across the state. Delays caused by technical glitches and breakdown in the electronic voting machines, as well as incidents of bogus voting have led to the delay in polling.
"In many booths voters returned after waiting long under the harsh sun. Many who came back later did not get the opportunity to vote. Many who arrived at the booths even before 6 pm did not get the chance to cast their franchise," Satheesan said in a statement.
He said polling took place slowly in several places. "The polling took place under circumstances which prompt one to suspect that there were serious apathy on the part of officials. The voting percentage came down due to the sluggishness at the official level," he said. He said the state had not seen such shoddy poll preparations in the recent past. "There should be an inquiry into it," he said. By 6 pm, the state recorded a voter turnout of 67.27 per cent. The final turnout percentage is likely to go up.
Kerala had seen a voter turnout of 77.84 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. However, a considerable fall is likely to be in the final figures compared to the voter turnout of 77.84 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in the state.