By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram: An estimated 80 percent of the electorate voted Saturday in the assembly by-election at Neyyattinkara in Kerala, officials said.
The turnout was so heavy that many voters continued to stand in queues outside polling booths even after the end of balloting at 5 p.m.
The constituency has 164,856 voters.
In the triangular fight, former central minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader O. Rajagopal is pitted against F. Lawrence of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and R. Selvaraj of the Congress.
Selvaraj became a Congress candidate after quitting the CPI-M in March. He won the 2011 assembly election by 6,702 votes.
Seeing the huge turnout, all three candidates vowed to win.
“I will win by an enhanced margin than what the CPI-M got last year,” said Lawrence.
He said the May 4 murder of former CPI-M leader T.P. Chandrasekheran, a crime blamed on his party, would not affect the outcome.
Selvaraj said he would win again. “No one needs to have a doubt, this time I will win.”
The results will be out June 15.