Chennai witnessed brisk polling across Tamil Nadu as the state recorded a 70% voter turnout by 3 pm on election day. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), approximately 4.01 crore voters out of a total electorate of 5.73 crore exercised their franchise across 234 constituencies.
Polling Trends Throughout the Day
The voting process began at 7 am, with the initial two hours (7 am to 9 am) seeing a turnout of 17.69%. The momentum picked up between 9 am and 11 am, adding 19.87% to reach 37.86%. From 11 am to 1 pm, another 19.25% of voters cast their ballots, followed by 13.19% between 1 pm and 3 pm, culminating in the 70% milestone.
District-Wise Performance
Several districts reported turnout between 70% and 75%, including Virudhunagar, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Tirupur, Tirupathur, Kancheepuram, Kallakurichi, Erode, Dindigul, Dharmapuri, and Coimbatore. Notably, the Kangayam constituency in Tirupur district recorded over 78% voter turnout, while the Bhavani constituency in Erode saw 77.64% participation.
Impact of Electoral Roll Revision
This election follows a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls conducted after 20 years. The exercise reduced the registered electorate from 6.2 crore to 5.73 crore by removing approximately 74 lakh ineligible entries. ECI officials attributed the current polling trend to the successful cleanup of the rolls and expressed confidence that turnout could reach around 85% by the end of the day.
Comparison with Previous Elections
In contrast, the 2021 assembly elections, held during the second wave of Covid-19, recorded a turnout of 73.63% with 4.63 crore voters out of 6.29 crore registered. The current election also mirrors the high participation seen in the 2006 polls, which followed a similar SIR in 2005. That year, the state saw a 70.56% turnout from an electorate of 4.66 crore, an 11% increase compared to the 2001 elections, representing a surge of approximately 48 lakh votes.
