Chennai (PTI): Polling in 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu on Thursday witnessed enthusiastic participation, as nearly 38 per cent of the about 5.73 crore voters exercised their franchise by 11 am, the EC said.
According to Election Commission of India (EC) figures, voter turnout stood at 37.56 per cent by the first four hours of the polling exercise, which started sharp at 7 am.
About two crore voters cast their votes till 11 am, the EC said.
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Tiruppur distirct topped the charts with 42.45 per cent.
Chennai recorded 35.47 per cent polling, while Madurai (36.22), Coimbatore (38.62) and the centrally located Tiruchirappalli district (38.08) also saw brisk polling.
Kolathur Assembly constituency in Chennai, where Chief Minister M K Stalin is contesting, saw 37.06 polling till l1 am and at Chepauk-Tiruvallikeni it was 34.44 per cent. Deputy CM and Stalin's son, Udhayanidhi is trying his luck for the second time from this city constituency.
Similarly, Edappadi constituency recorded 39.94 per cent. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami is contesting from his traditional turf and is being challenged by the DMK, while actor Vijay's TVK is backing an independent after the party nominee's poll papers were rejected on technical grounds during scrutiny.
In Tiruchirappalli East, where Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay is contesting, 37.24 per cent polling was recorded till 11 am.
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Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
