CHENNAI: The single-phase polling for electing the legislators of the 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly will take place on April 23, and the counting of votes and declaration of results will be on May 4. Making the announcement, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said the election process in the state should be completed by May 6 so that the next elected government can assume office by May 10, when the tenure of the current 16th Assembly ends.
Nominations in Tamil Nadu begin on March 30, and the last date for filing nominations is April 6. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on April 7, and the last date for withdrawing nominations will be April 9. The ECI accepted the demand of all political parties for single-phase elections in the state and as in the past few general elections, allowed a 14-day campaign period. Generally, the Assembly elections for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry take place on the same day but this time, they will go to polls within two weeks of each other.
Immediately after the announcement of the election schedule by Chief Election Commissioner Gynanesh Kumar in New Delhi, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force in Tamil Nadu. During the MCC period, the state government is to refrain from announcing any financial grants in any form or promises thereof, or announce any new scheme or sanction funds for the same. Ministers and other political executives should not lay foundation stones or attend inaugural functions of projects or schemes of any kind.
Sources said that ahead of the elections, Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik had, in her letter to secretaries of all departments, directed them to draw a line in the register maintained for issuing GOs, and an attested copy of the page should be sent within a few hours of the announcement of the elections. The practice was started a few years ago when there were complaints about the issuance of backdated GOs. As a result, the government can issue any GO after the notification of the elections only with the consent of the ECI.
Monitoring of expenditure by political parties has also started with immediate effect. Flying squads and static surveillance squads have started their work immediately after the notification of the elections. Political parties cannot put up posters, billboards, cutouts or hoardings on public or private property in urban areas. In rural areas, parties may put up posters only after obtaining written permission from the property owners.
At the state secretariat, photos of Chief Minister M K Stalin and advertisements featuring the CM and other ministers were removed from one entrance. The ministers are not to combine their official visits with election work and should not use official machinery or personnel for election work. Government transport, including official aircraft, vehicles, machinery and personnel, should not be used for the party in power. The issuance of advertisements at the cost of the public exchequer in the newspapers and other media is barred during this period.
The ECI has also issued instructions for swift, effective and stringent action to enforce the MCC during the first 72 hours following the announcement of the poll schedule, and to maintain extra vigilance and strict enforcement in the last 72 hours prior to close of polls.
After the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in TN, 97.34 lakh names were deleted from the rolls and of them, around 27 lakh voters were found to be dead. Hence, the number of voters, which stood at 6.41 crore ahead of the SIR, reduced to 5.67 crore after the exercise concluded.
Poll timeline
May 10: The day on which term of 16th Assembly comes to an end
May 6: The current election process will be completed
April 23: Polling will take place
March 30: Filing of nominations begins
April 6: Filing of nominations ends
April 7: Scrutiny of nominations
April 9: Last date for withdrawal of nominations
Total number of voters: 5.67 crore
Total number of polling booths: 75,032