CHENNAI: Chennai recorded a modest voter turnout on Thursday morning, with the estimated polling percentage across the city’s 16 constituencies ranging between about 31% and 39% by 11 am, according to provisional figures released by the secretariat of the Election Commission of India. Between 9 am and 11 am, voter turnout in all the 16 assembly constituencies in Chennai almost doubled, rising from the mid-teens to the mid-30s and brushing 40% in a few segments, Virugambakkam and Thyagarayanagar continued to remain at the top of the chart at 39.27% and 39.08% respectively, while a clutch of central and northern constituencies trailed behind the district’s leading segments. By 11am, Virugambakkam (39.27%) and Thyagarayanagar (39.08%) had the highest estimated turnout in the city, followed by Velachery (37.18%), Kolathur (37.06%), Anna Nagar (36.70%), Villivakkam (36.92%) and Perambur (36.26%), all of which were in the upper 30s. At the other end, Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar (31.37%), Royapuram (31.71%) and Mylapore (31.47%) were just above the 30% mark, while Egmore (34.28%), Harbor (34.32%), Chepauk–Thiruvallikeni (34.44%), Thousand Lights (35.65%) and Saidapet (34.38%) clustered in the mid-30% band.Unruly crowdsPolice had to clamp down on unruly crowds and restrict media access at multiple polling stations in Chennai on Thursday as political leaders and film stars turned up to cast their votes, briefly disrupting the polling process.At Neelangarai, where Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay voted, the situation turned chaotic around 8.30am as a massive crowd of fans and supporters surged towards the polling booth. Police stopped the public from entering the premises when his convoy arrived and instructed media personnel not to go inside the booth area.Despite the restrictions on the general public and media, several people who came along with Vijay’s convoy and many entered the polling station. The hustle and crowding inside and outside the station slowed down the voting process for ordinary electors waiting in queues.“The process was affected for some time. Those who had been waiting patiently were pushed back when the convoy came, and we were all told to move aside,” said a voter.Similar scenes played out in other parts of the city as star power drew huge crowds to polling stations. At the Thiruvanmiyur polling booth, where actor Ajith cast his vote, police resorted to a mild lathi charge on a small group of people after they surged forward to catch a glimpse of the actor. A few people were dispersed, and voting resumed.In another high-profile stop, crowds swelled when superstar Rajinikanth arrived to vote, with fans jostling for space and raising slogans. Election officials said voting eventually normalized but conceded that the arrival of celebrities briefly overwhelmed crowd-control arrangements at these locations.
