Increase in invalid votes

By Feroze Ahmed

CHENNAI, OCT. 22. The large scale rigging in the Chennai Corporation polls has seen a corresponding increase in the number of invalid votes and has had a significant impact on the results.

Compared to the previous election, there has been a 1.8 per cent increase in the number of invalid votes, which, percentage wise, amounts to more than 22,000 votes.

According to results available late Monday, 41,061 votes were declared invalid out of 12,24,071 votes counted (3.25 per cent). In the previous election, 45,354 votes were invalid out of a total 30,90,913 votes (1.5 per cent). The total votes polled in the present election is about 13 lakhs.

The high percentage of invalid votes has contributed to the slender difference in votes polled by the mayoral candidates, Mr. M. K. Stalin (DMK) and Mr. N. Balaganga (AIADMK).

A major discrepancy evident during the counting was in the total votes polled, which should be a constant but kept varying during the announcement of results.

From 12,97,355 on Sunday afternoon, it changed to 12,87,747 in the evening and later to 12,88,108. On Monday, the total votes polled was announced as 13,23,641, and later it was 12,65,132.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Stalin continues to lead
Next     : Not an expensive win for him