Kerala election update: 79.63% voter turnout recorded; service votes pending

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Electoral Officer Dr. Ratan U. Khelkar has released the official polling figures for the Kerala assembly elections. During a press conference, he clarified that when postal ballots are combined with EVM data, the voter turnout stands at approximately 79.63%. He noted that this figure is subject to minor changes as the final tallying concludes.

The Election Commissioner also highlighted that figures for service votes are still being processed.

"There has been no delay in publishing the final figures; it simply takes time to ensure total accuracy," Dr. Khelkar stated. "The process is entirely transparent. The total turnout at polling booths was 78.27% out of 2,71,42,953 registered voters. This rose to 79.63% once the 3,68,193 postal ballots from senior citizens, differently-abled persons, essential service workers, and election duty personnel were included."

He added that the data for 53,984 service voters, which are received via index cards, are still pending.

Breakdown of postal votes

The total number of postal votes recorded so far is 3,68,193. The breakdown is as follows:

• Senior Citizens: 1,40,210 (out of 1,45,604 eligible)
• Persons with Disabilities (PwD): 60,734 (out of 62,159 eligible)
• Essential Services: 32,172 (out of 34,140 eligible)
• Election Duty Personnel: 1,35,068
• Pending Figures: 53,984 (Service votes)