CHENNAI: The presidential elections in the State went off smoothly at the Secretariat on Monday. Draupadi Murmu contested on behalf of the BJP-led alliance while Yashwant Sinha contested as the opposition parties' candidate.
BJP MLAs Vanathi Srinivasan, Nainar Nagendran and AIADMK MLA Pollachi V Jayaraman served as booth agents for Murmu, while the government's chief whip Govi Chezhiayn, deputy speaker K Pitchandi, and Congress floor leader in the Assembly K Selvaperunthagai were booth agents for Sinha.
Chief Minister MK Stalin polled the first vote at 10 am, followed by ministers and DMK MLAs, and leaders form the Congress and other alliance partners. AIADMK MLAs, led by Edappadi K Palaniswami, exercised their franchise around noon. PMK MLAs, led by GK Mani, cast their votes around 11:30 am.
Later in the day, Minister for Milk and Dairy Development SM Naser and Deputy Opposition Leader O Panneerselvam both of whom have Covid exercised their franchise with PPE kits. Minutes before they arrived, Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahu and an observer moved out of the polling hall and waited in the outer corridor, near the exit gate.
Presiding Officer K Srinivasan (Legislative Assembly Secretary), party representatives Kovi Chezhiyan (DMK), Vanathi Srinivasan (BJP), and polling officials, wore PPE kits.
Apart from the 234 MLAs, three Lok Sabha MPs A Ganeshamurthi, M Selvaraj, and Karti P Chidambaram voted in Chennai after getting permission from the Election Commission of India (ECI). All voters were given face masks and hand sanitiser, and their temperature was checked before they entered the polling booth.
Stalin polled the first vote at 10 am, and Panneerselvam polled the last vote at 4:20 pm. Three election officers conducted the poll. Soon after the election, the ballot box was taken to the airport and sent to the ECI on an evening flight.