THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The awaited Lok Sabha elections of 2004 have commenced in Kerala with big queues already witnessed in many polling booths. The voting will continue till 6 pm on Friday. Most of the candidates involved in the elections reached early on Friday morning to cast their votes in their respective constituencies.

BJP state president K Surendran, opposition leader VD Satheesan, NDA candidate from Thrissur Suresh Gopi, UDF candidate from Vadakara Shafi Parambil, LDF candidate from Pathanamthitta Thomas Isaac, NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair and others reached the polling booths within one hour after the voting started.

V D Satheesan voted in Ernakulam. "I want to appeal to the voters of Kerala that everyone should go to the polling booth and vote. This is an important choice. This is a question of whether our country should live or die.”

Kerala

Voters: 277 49,159

Women: 143 33 499

Men: 134 15 293

Heterosexuals: 367

Physically disabled: 264232

Voters above age 85: 246959

Voters above age 100: 2891

First-time voters: 534394

Expatriates: 89839

Service voters: 57493