RK Nagar bypoll ends peacefully, with 60% turnout

Polling passed off peacefully at the RK Nagar assembly constituency in Chennai today, with an estimated 60 per cent of the electorate exercising their franchise by 3 pm in the prestigious bypoll.

Election officials said the final voting figure is expected later tonight as many people were still waiting to cast their votes at 5 pm.

An estimated 60 per cent of the 2,28,234 voters in the constituency exercised their franchise by 3 pm and there were no reports of any untoward incident, officials said.

In booth after booth, serpentine queues were witnessed right from 8 am when voting opened with women outnumbering men in several of them.

A large number of people were awaiting their turn to vote even at the scheduled closure of voting at 5 pm.

All those who were present inside the polling stations ahead of the 5 pm deadline were given tokens by officials to ensure that they exercised their franchise.

There were sporadic complaints of snag in some EVMs, and consequential delay.

Also, some voters complained that their names were deleted, others claimed their names were struck off the rolls wrongly categorising them as 'dead'.

The byelection is being held to fill the vacancy caused by the death of sitting MLA and late AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa in December last year.  -- PTI

IMAGE: Women wait in long queue at a polling booth to cast their votes for the Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar Assembly constituency bypoll, in Chennai on Thursday. Photograph: R Senthil Kumar/ PTI Photo