As a seasoned Indian journalist, here's a refined version of the article: Voting in the by-election for Kerala's Nilambur Assembly constituency saw a consistent turnout, reaching 30.15% in the first four hours from 7 am to 11 am on Thursday. Polling began at 7 am under tight security, featuring central security forces and police, alongside live monitoring of the election through extensive webcasting. By 11 am, the turnout rose from an initial 13.15% to 30.15%, as per the Election Commission's data. Voters started arriving early at the 263 polling booths in the constituency, which has over 2.32 lakh eligible voters choosing among 10 candidates. Among them, the main contenders include the ruling LDF's M Swaraj, Congress-led UDF's Aryadan Shoukath, Trinamool Congress state convener and independent P V Anvar, and BJP-led NDA's Mohan George. While moving between booths, Shoukath told reporters that the turnout would increase, unaffected by rain, and noted the addition of 59 new booths would prevent long queues. He expressed confidence in securing a significant victory. LDF's Swaraj also anticipated a win and expected voter participation to rise despite the rain. Anvar, whose resignation as MLA prompted the by-election, spoke about the constituency's developments during his tenure, criticizing that neither the UDF, LDF, nor NDA addressed local issues like wild animal attacks in their campaigns. Anvar claimed a likelihood of gaining substantial UDF and LDF support. His resignation stemmed from severing ties with the CPI(M)-led LDF after alleging issues with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and aides. Following a mock polling to ensure Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were operational, voting commenced in the morning. The final voter list includes 1,13,613 men, 1,18,760 women, 8 transgender individuals, 7,787 first-time voters, 373 overseas voters, and 324 service voters.
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