New Delhi: Voting time for Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency and Chelakkara assembly constituency, where by-elections are being held in the state, is over. While there was a good turnout in Chelakkara, there was a huge drop in the polling percentage in Wayanad. Long queues of voters could be seen in many booths in Chelakkara even after 6 pm.

They were given tokens, Kerala Kaumudi reported.

As per the latest reports, 72. 51 per cent polling has been recorded in Chelakkara.

Meanwhile, Wayanad recorded 64.27 per cent polling, which is less than last time.  According to the report, Congress says a decrease in polling percentage will not affect their victory.

According to Election Commission of India data, the turnout stood at 60.79% by 5 pm. The election process, held under tight security, was largely incident-free, although some electronic voting machines (EVMs) reportedly malfunctioned at a few booths.

Election officials addressed the EVM breakdowns promptly, ensuring minimal disruption. The by-election was called in the constituency after Rahul Gandhi, who had won the seat in the general elections earlier this year, vacated it upon retaining his Rae Bareli seat.

Sixteen candidates were in the fray, with the top contenders being Congress-led UDF’s Priyanka Gandhi, who made her electoral debut; CPI(M)-led LDF’s Sathyan Mokeri; and BJP-led NDA’s Navya Haridas.