Kerala Eyes Record Turnout with Sweet Polling Experience

Rathan U Kelkar, Kerala's Chief Electoral Officer, announced optimism for reaching a 90% voter turnout, as initial patterns show increasing participation. Voting is proceeding smoothly across 30,000 stations, though some booths faced EVM issues. A sweet initiative involved offering halwa to first-time voters, though availability varied.

Kerala's Chief Electoral Officer, Rathan U Kelkar, expressed optimism on Thursday about achieving a 90% voter turnout, citing encouraging early voting trends.

By 1 pm, voter participation had surged from 16.23% at 9 am to 49.70%, reflecting the state's strong electoral engagement. Voting proceeded smoothly across over 30,000 polling stations.

While minor technical glitches with electronic voting machines were reported at two booths, an innovative initiative of offering halwa to first-time voters highlighted efforts to make the voting experience special.

(With inputs from agencies.)