Kerala Elections: Service Voters Push Turnout to 79.70%

Kerala's voter turnout for the April 9 Assembly elections has seen a tentative rise to 79.70%, thanks to the addition of service voters' postal ballots, as announced by Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar. The figure was previously 79.63%, excluding these ballots.

Kelkar, addressing a press conference, detailed the elaborate preparations for the vote counting set to begin. The counting will take place in 43 locations across the state at 8 am on Monday, with postal ballots being counted first.

The electoral process is accompanied by strong security measures, with 32,301 police personnel deployed. Each constituency will have a dedicated counting observer to ensure adherence to guidelines. Kelkar emphasized avoiding misinformation and urged the public to rely on official updates from the Election Commission.

(With inputs from agencies.)