2 months ago
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Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, on with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, held a elaborate and broad reappraisal of the preparedness for the coming Tamil Nadu Assembly predetermination successful Chennai connected Thursday (February 26, 2026).
They interacted with representatives of the recognised nationalist and State governmental parties and sought their suggestions, an authoritative merchandise said. Among the parties that took portion astatine the gathering were the DMK, the AIADMK, the Congress, the BJP, the CPI(M), the VCK, the DMDK, the NTK, the BSP, the AAP, and the NPP.
Most parties appreciated the Election Commission for the peaceful and creaseless behaviour of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls successful Tamil Nadu, the merchandise said. “Political parties urged the Commission to instrumentality stringent measures to curb the usage of wealth powerfulness and organisation of freebies during elections. Some governmental parties asked for an summation successful the fig of flying squads to curb malpractices during elections.” Some parties urged the Commission to support successful caput the upcoming festivals portion finalising the predetermination schedule.
DMK organising secretary R.S. Bharathi and ineligible helping secretary N.R. Elango said successful a practice that the property cohort details successful the last electoral rolls were not afloat published and galore District Election Officers were reluctant to stock them. They added that the names and different details were not decently recorded and aged elector ID paper details continued to beryllium referenced. In a abstracted representation, CPI(M) State caput P. Shanmugam demanded that the Assembly predetermination beryllium conducted successful a azygous phase. The CPI(M) besides demanded the resequencing of the placement of machines successful the bid of ballot unit, followed by power unit, and VVPAT. The enactment urged the Commission to supply caller EPIC cards with revised portion and serial numbers to each electors and guarantee drinking h2o and different facilities astatine polling booths connected the time of polling.
Mr. Gyanesh Kumar assured the parties that their suggestions would beryllium considered, the merchandise said.
The Commission besides held a elaborate treatment with the heads/nodal officers of enforcement agencies, IGs, DIGs, DEOs, and SPs on predetermination planning, EVM management, logistics, grooming of predetermination staff, seizures, instrumentality and order, elector awareness, and outreach activities.
The Commission directed the heads/nodal officers of the enforcement agencies to enactment with impartiality and clamp down connected each inducements. It besides directed the DEOs and the SPs to prioritise voters’ comfortableness and accessibility astatine polling stations, impart robust grooming to officials, and guarantee wide consciousness of the electoral processes. The Commission besides directed the officers to enactment without fearfulness oregon favour and stressed that determination would beryllium zero tolerance towards immoderate deviation from the rules and laws.
RS poll notification
The Commission issued the notification for the biennial predetermination from Tamil Nadu to six seats successful the Rajya Sabha. The tenure of the six sitting members volition expire connected April 2. According to the notification, R. Santhi, Additional Secretary, Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Secretariat, would beryllium the Returning Officer, and P. Thenmozhi, Joint Secretary, Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Secretariat, would beryllium the Assistant Returning Officer. Nominations should beryllium delivered by a campaigner oregon by immoderate of his proposers to either of them astatine the bureau of the Returning Officer/Additional Secretary, Legislative Assembly Secretariat, Chennai-600009 betwixt 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. connected immoderate time (except connected February 28 and March 1 declared nationalist holidays) and not aboriginal than March 5.
The nominations would beryllium scrutinised astatine the bureau of the Returning Officer/Additional Secretary, Legislative Assembly Secretariat, astatine 11 a.m. connected March 6. Notice of withdrawal of candidature whitethorn beryllium delivered either by a campaigner oregon by immoderate of his proposers oregon by his authorised cause to either of the officers earlier 3 p.m. connected March 9.
“In the lawsuit of the predetermination being contested, polling volition beryllium held betwixt 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. connected March 16 astatine the Legislature Committee Room connected the Ground Floor of the Main Secretariat Building, Secretariat, Chennai-600009,” the notification said.
