TN set for crucial Assembly polls; over 5.73 cr voters to decide fate of 4,023 candidates
Chennai (PTI): Over 5.73 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of 4,023 candidates in the fray for the crucial Tamil Nadu Assembly elections on April 23, amid tight security and a massive crackdown by election authorities to prevent inducements to influence voters.
The high-stakes contest primarily pits the DMK-led SPA against the AIADMK-led NDA, with Chief Minister M K Stalin seeking to retain power and AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami fighting to return to the treasury benches after five years.
Addressing a press conference here, Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Archana Patnaik said the state is fully prepared for the huge democratic exercise. "The total electoral strength stands at 5.73 crore, comprising 2.93 women, 2.83 crore men, and 7,728 third-gender persons," Patnaik said.
Highlighting the importance of youth participation, Patnaik noted that 14,59,039 first-time voters have been enrolled.
"The voting will take place across 75,064 polling stations situated in 33,133 locations, with the Commission deploying 1,06,418 ballot units along with 75,064 control units and VVPAT machines. To prevent any technical delays, a reserve of 20 per cent for EVMs and 30 per cent for VVPATs has been maintained," the CEO added.
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The state has witnessed an aggressive enforcement campaign against the influence of money and materials. Patnaik disclosed that the total value of intercepted items has reached Rs 1,262 crore, of which actual seizures of cash and other material amount to Rs 543 crore.
"The enforcement machinery has been particularly active on digital platforms, where 163 FIRs have been lodged in connection with various violations. The social media monitoring cell has ensured the removal or blocking of 2,180 URLs across different platforms," Patnaik said.
The CEO also stated that 243 rebuttals and clarifications were issued to counter misinformation on social media during the campaign period.
Responding to queries regarding allegations of digital bribery and the distribution of cash substitutes -- such as pamphlets resembling cheques for Rs 8,000 or Rs 2,000 -- Patnaik asserted that FIRs have been filed in all cases where such items were seized.
She emphasised that the Commission is taking help from cybercrime units for social media patrolling and will act strictly as per the law. The official further noted that the District Election Officers have carried out maintenance at polling booths at the local level to ensure they are accessible and voter-friendly.
Regarding logistics for those on duty, Patnaik informed that 68,501 service electors are on the rolls, including 909 personnel from the Bihar battalion enrolled for the first time.
"On the postal ballots front, 4,18,541 votes have been received so far, while 1,10,595 Election Duty Certificates have been issued to personnel who will cast their votes at the same booths where they are stationed. The state has also recorded 3,98,513 electors aged 85 and above, many of whom have already utilised the home voting facility," she added.
EVMs are already on their way to the polling stations.
The Commission has placed a heavy emphasis on inclusivity and special management of booths. There are 249 model polling stations, 325 'pink' stations managed entirely by women, 71 managed by persons with disabilities, and 29 managed by youth.
Additionally, some districts are piloting green polling stations to reduce the environmental impact of the election. Security remains a top priority, with 300 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces deployed alongside 83,875 local police personnel.
Out of the total polling booths, 5,949 in 3,025 locations have been identified as highly sensitive, Patnaik said. To manage these areas and ensure peaceful polling, 300 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed, working alongside 83,875 local polling police personnel.
Addressing a common voter query about the use of mobile phones, Patnaik clarified that devices are strictly prohibited inside the polling booth. However, she highlighted a special effort this year to provide facilities to collect and store mobiles outside every polling station.
She also encouraged voters to use the Vazhikatti app to easily find their specific booths. For those who may not have received their physical booth slips, Patnaik noted that awareness campaigns have been extensive and manual identification processes are in place to ensure no eligible voter is turned away.
The political stakes of the election have been magnified by the debut of TVK founder Vijay, who is contesting from Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East. The Dravidian majors have doubled down on their respective developmental agendas, with Stalin promising a model state and Palaniswami focusing on restoring past administrative standards.
The Election Commission has also commenced the second phase of the International Election Visitors Programme, with delegates set to visit dispatch centres, control rooms, and media monitoring units to witness polling on April 23.
Following the conclusion of voting at 6 pm on April 23, all EVMs will be transported to 62 approved counting centres across the state. The results of this high-decibel contest will be known when the counting takes place on May 4.
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UP: 11 killed in multi-vehicle crash in Mirzapur
Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): Eleven people were killed in a multi-vehicle accident on Wednesday in Dramandganj area here, police said.
SP Aparna Rajat Kaushik said that information about the accident was received at around 8.30 pm.
The collision occurred on a route descending from Dramandganj valley towards the Lasoda area, where a vehicle lost control and crashed.
Preliminary investigation suggests that a truck coming from behind possibly rammed into another truck after suffering a brake failure.
A car got trapped between the two trucks during the collision. In the sequence of events, another vehicle was also hit and caught fire, she said.
Police teams and fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot immediately upon receiving the information, according to Kaushik.
With the assistance of local residents, rescue and relief operations were launched without delay, she said.
"So far, 11 deaths have been reported, and efforts are underway to establish the identities of the victims," the SP said.
Police personnel remain deployed at the site, and efforts are ongoing to restore traffic movement on the affected route.
According to initial information, one of the trucks involved bears a Bihar registration number, while the other is registered in Madhya Pradesh.
Among the cars involved, one is from Sonbhadra district and another from Mirzapur district, the SP said.
A detailed probe is on in the matter.
