804 voters, but machine shows 805 votes; LDF lodges complaint

KOTTAYAM: A complaint has been raised that one extra vote was recorded on the voting machine compared to the actual number of voters. The issue occurred in Ward 6 of Velloor Panchayat in Kottayam. A total of 804 people voted here, but the voting machine showed 805 votes. Following this, the LDF has filed a complaint demanding an investigation.

There were also incidents of voting machine malfunctions in some parts of the district. Except for these issues, polling was peaceful in various panchayats in Kanjirappally taluk, as well as in Kokkayar and Peruvanthanam panchayats in Idukki district. The problems were mainly resolved by repairing the machines or replacing them with new ones.

Around eight polling booths in the taluk witnessed machine failures. In Erumeli Panchayat’s Ward 7 (Pakkanam), the voting machine remained faulty for three hours. Voting resumed only after trying four different machines. At Ward 13, Punchavayal St. Mary’s LP School, the voting machine malfunctioned several times.