Thiruvananthapuram: An average voter turnout of 38.81 per cent was registered till 1 pm Tuesday in Kerala as heavy polling was witnessed in the elections to 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor and Union minister Alphons Kannamthanam and BJP leader Kummanam Rajashekharan are among the key contenders.

According to Election Commission sources, Kannur recorded the highest voting percentage of 41.8 as of 1 pm while Ponnani the lowest of 33.97 per cent. Wayanad, from where Rahul Gandhi is contesting, recorded 40.56 per cent votes, Thiruvananthapuram registered 38.19 and Pathanamthitta 40.26 per cent. Though complaints of technical glitches in voting machines were reported initially in various places, polling continued after the snags were rectified.