Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 24 : The Legislative Assembly elections held across Tamil Nadu on April 23 concluded peacefully. The sealed Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have shifted to strong rooms following the conclusion of voting in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections on April 23 amid tight security.
Polling, which began at 7:00 am, ended at 6:00 am on Thursday, following which the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and VVPAT devices used in all polling stations were properly sealed by election officials.
From Thursday midnight, the machines were loaded onto vehicles from respective constituencies. It was transported under tight police security, including armed personnel, to the central counting centre set up at the VOC Government Engineering College campus in Thoothukudi.
At the venue, the work of placing the EVMs in designated strong rooms was carried out in full swing. More than 500 election officials and government staff are involved in the process, ensuring that each machine is securely stored in accordance with prescribed guidelines.
Subsequently, the process of transporting the sealed voting machines from all six Assembly constituencies in Thoothukudi district began on Thursday night. From around midnight, the machines were loaded onto vehicles from respective constituencies and transported under tight police security, including armed personnel, to the central counting center set up at the VOC Government Engineering College campus in Thoothukudi. The operation continued throughout the night.
In addition, all strong rooms housing the EVMs are under heavy police protection, with armed security personnel deployed round the clock. CCTV cameras have been installed across the counting center and inside all strong rooms to ensure continuous monitoring.
Meanwhile, the Thoothukudi District Collector, Vishu Mahajan, visited the site this morning and conducted a detailed inspection of the arrangements. He held discussions with officials and instructed them to ensure that there were no lapses in the security of the voting machines.
Polling for all six Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district concluded amid tight security on Thursday. The voting was concluded at 6:00 pm.
A large number of voters turned up and stood in long queues to cast their votes. In total, the district has 13,88,186 voters, including 6,77,004 men, 7,10,981 women, and 201 third-gender voters across the six constituencies. A total of 1,868 polling stations were set up for the election.
Geetha Jeevan is a two-time MLA from the Thoothukudi seat, and won the last elections by a huge margin of 50,310 (26.9 per cent) votes against AIADMK's Sdr Vijayaseelan. This time, she is pitted against AIADMK's former MLA from Thoothukudi, ST Chellapandian.
The counting of votes will take place on May 4.
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