Hyderabad, April 24 -- As the voters' turnout in the first phase of polling for 102 seats this time is lower than that of five state assemblies which went to poll at the height of second wave of Corona Virus in April 2021-not to speak of 2019 election-then summer heat and wedding season cannot be accepted as an excuse. Needless to mention lakhs of people perished in the second wave between April and July three years back. Yet Tamil Nadu registered 72.78% voting then against over 69% for all the 39 constituencies which went to poll on April 19 this time.

The pandemic did not deter the Election Commission from holding this exercise in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. In West Bengal it was spread to eight phases from M...