State records over 70 per cent polling

Thiruvananthapuram: Over 70 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the elections to 140 Assembly constituencies in the State Monday as polling steadily picked up pace in the last hours of the day.

Kozhikode district is on top with 73.39 per cent voting while Alappuzha recorded 73.37 per cent voting. The politically sensitive northern district of Kannur is third in the list with 72.88 per cent voting.

The state capital Thiruvananthapuram recorded the lowest of 67.77 per cent.

After a slow start with 12.11 per cent till 9 AM, the percentage picked up later in the day and touched 43.88 per cent at 1 PM.

Polling to decide the fate of 1,203 candidates in the fray was peaceful across the state so far.

Tight security was put in place across the state with the deployment of about 52,000 police personnel besides central forces.