"There is no doubt about victory, there will be a change of government in India", says Tharoor

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Shashi Tharoor said there is no doubt that he will win the Thiruvananthapuram constituency. Tharoor said the party workers are also fully confident in that regard. He was responding to the media in Thiruvananthapuram.

There was a contest between BJP and LDF for the second position. Some ask why the numbers have dwindled within city limits. They worry about who it will affect. Maybe the voters didn't come because they thought they shouldn't vote for the BJP.

Not only in Kerala but the news we are hearing from Hindi speaking states is in our favour. Tharoor responded that it is understood that the possibility of change of government is strong.

The heat of the valiant and vociferous struggle was also reflected in the polls and better polling was recorded in the capital district in the Lok Sabha elections. In the polling held from 7 am to 6 pm, the average polling was 66.43 percent in the Thiruvananthapuram constituency, where the triangular contest took place till 8.15 pm. In the Attingal constituency, it was 69.40 percent. The polling percentage will increase even more when the final figures come. In the 2019 elections, the polling was 73.23 percent in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency and 74.4 percent in the Attingal constituency.

Over 60 percent polling was recorded in both constituencies of the capital an hour before the end of polling. As the numbers this time are not up to par with the 2019 polling, it is interesting to see who will win. As it is a triangular contest in both the constituencies, all the three fronts are showing hope in the polling percentage.

From half-past six in the morning, people including women reached the booths. From the beginning, there was a queue that was felt only after 10 o'clock in normal elections. Booths in the city and Vattiyoorkavu and Nemam areas were generally less busy. But the booths in Poonthura, Bhimapally and Veli areas on the coast were very busy even late in the evening. Long queues remained in some booths even after the polling hours ended. Those who arrived till 6 pm were allowed to vote by giving a slip.

Voting started at seven in the morning and reached close to ten percent within two hours. Polling took place till eleven o'clock in the afternoon. As the afternoon sun became heavy, the booths became less crowded, but later became active.

Starting from the coastal areas of Varkala and Chirayinkeezhu and ending in the hilly areas of Aruvikkara and Vamanapuram, Attingal constituencies were marred by delays in voting due to machine breakdowns in some booths and verbal arguments in a few places. In the beginning, the consenters from the coastal and hilly areas were more enthusiastic about reaching the booths.

During the mock polling ahead of the polls, the voting machines were out of order in some booths. Mock polling started at 5.30 am. In some places the VVPAT machine and in some places the voting machine was broken. The problem was immediately resolved and voting continued.

LDF candidate of the Attingal constituency, V. Joy Perunguzhi, visited the booths after voting in Govt. High School. UDF candidate Adoor Prakash visited the booth after casting his vote at Government High School. NDA candidate V. Muralidharan cast his vote at Ullur Kottaram booth after visiting Ullur Subramania Swamy Temple.

Congress candidate from Thiruvananthapuram Constituency, Shashi Tharoor, went to visit the booths after casting his vote at Cotton Hill School. LDF candidate Pannyan Ravindran reached the capital after casting his vote in Kannur. Then he visited booths in various constituencies. NDA candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar visited Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Pazhavangadi Ganapati Temple and Vettukad church in the morning. He did not cast his vote as it was in Bangalore.