‘Smooth’ polling underway in Tamil Nadu amid tight security

Even before polling opened at 7 am, people could be seen eagerly queuing up before the polling stations.

Chennai: Polling is underway in Tamil Nadu with top leaders including AIADMK’s O Panneerselvam, DMK chief M K Stalin and celebrities like Rajinikanth exercising their franchise early on Tuesday.

Chief Electoral Officer, Satyabrata Sahoo after voting at a polling station here told reporters that polling exercise was on ‘smooth’ across Tamil Nadu barring ‘one or two’ places that witnessed issues related to the Electronic Voting Machines and these were attended immediately.

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‘Free and fair polls are on,’ he said adding so far there has been no complaints and observers and zonal parties were monitoring the polling exercise and in case of any ‘problem’ they would immediately take action.

Even before polling opened at 7 am, people could be seen eagerly queuing up before the polling stations and voter information slips were distributed to the people to help them identify their booths.

Speaker P Dhanapal voted in Salem, Panneerselvam in Theni district and Ministers including P Thangamani and Sellur K Raju in their respective regions of Coimbatore and Madurai.

DMK president M K Stalin, after paying homage at the mausoleum of his party patriarch M Karunanidhi and party founder CN Annadurai cast his vote here.

Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan, who is trying his luck for the first time in Assembly polls, cast his vote here before heading to Coimbatore from where he is contesting polls.

DMDK leader Premalatha Vijayakanth, Naam Tamilar Katchi leader Seeman were among the other leaders who voted early in the day.

Actors Rajinikanth, Ajithkumar and Vijay were among the celebrities who exercised their franchise here.

The state has 88,937 polling stations 1,29,165 ballot units, 91,180 control units (which comprise the Electronic Voting Machine) and an equal number of VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) units.

As many as 4,17,521 polling personnel are on duty and over 1.50 lakh security personnel including those from state police, Central Armed Police Force, and home guards have been deployed.

There are 10,813 vulnerable polling stations and 537 critical and webcasting is being done from ’50 per cent’ of the polling stations.

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