Will unpolled postal votes decide the winner? 20,411 officials denied voting chance

KOCHI: Even after the High Court's intervention, 20,411 government officials in Kerala were unable to cast their postal votes this time. In several Assembly constituencies where a neck-and-neck battle is expected, these unpolled votes could potentially determine the final winner.

Though these officials applied for postal ballots, they were denied the opportunity due to technical reasons. The primary hurdle was a new directive requiring those on election duty to cast their votes in person at Voter Facilitation Centres, which proved inconvenient for many.

In previous elections, some seats were decided by double-digit margins. In 2016, the victory margin was just 43 votes in Wadakkanchery and 89 votes in Manjeshwar. In 2021, the majority in Perinthalmanna was a mere 38 votes. In all these cases, postal ballots played a decisive role.

While employee unions requested one more chance to vote before the counting date, the Election Commission explained that the issue arose from delays or errors in the applications. The High Court also stated it would not intervene at this late stage.

District-wise data of lost postal votes:
Thiruvananthapuram: 5,560
Kozhikode: 2,775
Alappuzha: 2,486
Palakkad: 2,090
Kannur: 1,630
Kottayam: 1,159
Pathanamthitta: 1,114
Thrissur: 773
Ernakulam: 773
Kollam: 731
Idukki: 413
Malappuram: 398
Wayanad: 302
Kasaragod: 237