AMN / CHENNAI
Thirty-eight, 38 Lok Sabha and 18 Assembly constituencies go to the polls on Thursday, April 18 in the second phase of polling in Tamil Nadu.
822 candidates are in the fray for the Parliamentary Elections and 269 for the Assembly by-elections. Nearly 5.99 crore voters are eligible to vote. Polling will be held from 7 am till 6 pm.
In Madurai, the voting time has been extended until 8 pm in view of the famous Kallazhagar festival. NDA consisting of AIADMK, BJP, PMK and DMDK is taking on UPA comprising DMK, Congress, the two Left Parties and Vaiko-led MDMK besides others.
Actor Kamal Haasan’s fledgeling Makkal Needhi Mayyam and Naam Tamizhar Party are also in the arena.
As the countdown for the polling fast approaches, deployment of election staff and security personnel is being made in a brisk phase. Handing over of more than 1.5 lakh EVMs, VVPATs and other election materials at over 67720 polling booths will be undertaken by Zonal Teams by this evening, which will be received by election officials there.
Carrying mobile phones by voters have been barred inside the booths. Shamianas are being erected in polling stations where there is no natural shade so that voters can come and vote comfortably.
Volunteers to help elders and differently abled and other basic amenities have been made available to ensure inclusive elections. As the profile of the voters is predominantly youth, social media, print and audio-visual media have been engaged by the ECI to attract them to polling booths.