Over 21.82% polling recorded in Andamans till 11 am

Port Blair: An estimated 21.82 per cent of the total 3,15,148 voters in Andaman and Nicobar Islands have exercised their franchise till 11 am on Friday for the lone Lok Sabha in the union territory, an official said.

Chief Electoral Officer, B S Jaglan said so far voting is going on peacefully.

"So far the voting is going on peacefully as we can see that a large number of women and men voters turned out in their respective booths. There were some minor EVM glitches but it was addressed immediately. It did not hamper the poll process," the CEO told PTI.

At Strait Island (in North and Middle Andaman district) 27 voters belonging to the Great Andamanese (ParticularlyVulnerable Tribal Groups - PVTGs) exercised their voting rights. The Strait Island is a restricted area due to the Great Andamanese tribal reserve.

The CEO said, "It’s good to see that primitive tribes are also exercising their voting rights. Every ballot is a testament to unity and participation. So far the voting is going on peacefully in the entire archipelago."

A total of 12 candidates, including two women and five independents are in the fray for the lone Lok Sabha seat. However, the contest is between the Congress and the BJP. This time, the BJP has nominated Bishnu Pada Ray as its candidate, while Congress has decided to field its sitting MP Kuldeep Rai Sharma against Ray.

The total number of voters in the Union Territory (UT) is 3,15148, which includes 1,64,012 male, 1,51,132 female and four voters in third gender category. The voters also include 39 of Great Nicobarese tribe of Strait Islands, 68 of Onge tribe at Hut Bay and 98 of Shompen tribe of Great Nicobar Island.