Extreme heat one of likely reasons for drop in voter turnout in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Extreme heat is a likely reason for a drop in polling in Lok Sabha election in Kerala. Although there was summer rain last week, it was hot yesterday. Palakkad recorded temperatures close to 41 degree Celsius. It was above 39 degrees in many districts. Mostly, people avoided voting by noon. Ten people died due to heat related issues in various districts. The sick and elderly people abstained from voting. Since Saturday and Sunday are holidays, many people used the polling holiday on Friday to go on tour.

In 1962, 1998 and 1999 the turnout was as low as 70%. The polling was 71.2% in 2004, 73.38% in 2009, 74.02% in 2014 and 77.67% in 2019.

This time, only Ponnani in the northern region saw the turnout below 70%. In the southern districts, the voter turnout was generally low. In Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Attingal, Kollam, Mavelikkara, Pathanamthitta Idukki, Ernakulam, the votes were less than 70%.

It is estimated that the feeling that the NDA government led by Narendra Modi will come to power and the feeling that the dominant parties in the state, Congress and CPM, are unlikely to come to power have kept the voters away from the polling booths. It is also known that among the government employees who are opposed to the current administration in the state, those who are not on election duty, have gone on tour en masse.