CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu will go for single-day polling on April 23, the Election Commission of India announced on Sunday, even as DMK and AIADMK are yet to complete the seat-sharing exercise. Votes will be counted and results declared on May 4.
Nominations in Tamil Nadu will begin on March 30 and must be done before 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.
After the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu, 97.34 lakh names were deleted from the rolls and of them, around 27 lakh voters were found 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.
The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force in Tamil Nadu with immediate effect. According to the MCC, the State government should not announce 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.
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.
Since the MCC has already come into force, State government employees and officials cannot be transferred without the prior approval from the ECI.
After the announcement of the schedule, all departments, including the Law and Legislative Assembly, have been directed to draw a line in the Office Register maintained for issuing G.Os. This should be sent within two hours of the announcement of elections. Because of this condition, the government can issue any G.O. after the notification of the elections only with the ECI's consent.
In 2021, the ECI left a two-week gap between the date of notification and the commencement of filing nominations. This time too similar gap is given. Further, as in the past two decades, the ECI has given only two weeks for campaigning from the last date for withdrawal of candidates.