CHENNAI: Voter turnout in Chennai assembly constituencies crossed the 50% mark by 1pm on Thursday, indicating that more than 14 lakh people had cast their votes in the first half of the polling day, according to Election Commission of India estimates. In 2021, a total of 23.94 lakh people in Chennai voted across the 16 constituencies.The estimated poll percentage released by the Election Commission of India at 1.32pm for Chennai district showed that Virugambakkam recorded the highest turnout at 59.3%, followed closely by T Nagar (Thiyagarayanagar) at 58.01%. In Kolathur, where chief minister MK Stalin is contesting, at least 56.59% of people have cast their votes. Constituencies such as Perambur (56.24%), Velachery (56.26%), Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar (55.68%), Thousand Lights (55.05%) and Anna Nagar (56.61%) had registered more than 55% of votes. The highest increase in the last two hours was recorded in Perambur, where TVK leader C Joseph Vijay is contesting. The turnout in Perambur jumped by 19.98% points from 36.26 at 11am to 56.24%.In central Chennai, Egmore topped with an estimated 53.67% turnout, followed by Harbour, the state’s smallest constituency, which registered 54.39%. The Chepauk–Thiruvallikeni, deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s constituency, recorded 53.55%, while southern parts such as Saidapet logged 52.76%.By contrast, some inner-city some constituencies were still below the 50% mark — Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar logged 48.74%, Mylapore at 48.86% and Royapuram at 49.67%. Most city segments had seen turnout roughly double between 9am and 11am and then rise by another 18–20% points by 1pm.
