Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 22 : The process of issuing official appointment letters to polling personnel across 2,787 stations commenced on Wednesday, marking a crucial step in the final preparations for the upcoming elections. Along with receiving their deployment orders, the officials also cast their postal votes.
Polling officials have been instructed to reach their respective polling booths and be in a state of readiness by 6 PM.
Meanwhile, after 2 PM, all essential materials required for polling, including Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and a total of 117 election-related items, will be distributed and delivered to the polling stations.
On Tuesday, the Tamil Nadu police carried out surprise inspections in lodges across Tiruchirappalli as part of intensified enforcement of election norms, ahead of the Assembly elections on April 23. According to officials, the checks were being conducted to ensure compliance with the Model Code of Conduct, particularly after the campaign deadline.
Authorities verified lodge registers to identify whether any outstation political party workers involved in campaigning are staying beyond the permitted time.
Rooms are also being inspected to ensure no violations, as part of strict monitoring ahead of the upcoming elections in Tamil Nadu.
With polling scheduled to be held across Tamil Nadu in a single phase on April 23, election campaigning officially came to an end at 6 pm today.
Following the close of campaigning, election flying squads have intensified vehicle checks across Tiruchirappalli.
On Friday, the process of collecting postal votes from government employees, teachers, journalists, and other personnel engaged in essential election duties commenced across Tamil Nadu.
As part of this, officials from various departments involved in election work were casting their votes at the Revenue Divisional Officer's office in Tiruchirappalli.
Since many of these personnel will be deployed outside their respective constituencies or will be on duty on polling day, special arrangements have been made to facilitate postal voting for them.
As permitted by the Election Commission, government officials, media personnel, police, fire service staff, and other essential workers engaged in election duties are exercising their franchise through postal ballots.
This comes ahead of the single-phased Tamil Nadu Assembly elections on April 23, with counting of votes on May 4.
Tiruchirappalli West Assembly constituency is heading into the April 23 polls as one of the most closely seat with DMK's KN Nehru, a Cabinet minister seeking a fourth term from this seat against AMMK Rajasekaran, who represents NDA and the entry of TVK's G Ramamoorthy, making this a genuinely three-cornered contest for the first time in the seat's recent history.
Meanwhile, Tiruchirappalli East Assembly constituency is set for a high-voltage contest between TVK chief Vijay and incumbent DMK MLA Inigo S Irudayaraj, who won in 2021.
Earlier on April 12, Deputy Election Commissioner Bhanu Prakash Yeturu chaired a high-level meeting in Tiruchirappalli to review poll preparedness ahead of the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
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