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TN Assembly Polls: EVMs Moved to Strong Rooms in Thoothukudi

The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections concluded peacefully on April 23. Sealed Electronic Voting Machines have been transported to strong rooms at the VOC Government Engineering College in Thoothukudi under tight security. More than 500 officials are involved in securing the machines, with round-the-clock armed protection and CCTV monitoring. Counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.

Key Points: Tamil Nadu Elections: EVMs Shifted to Strong Rooms in Thoothukudi

  • EVMs sealed and shifted to strong rooms after voting
  • Armed security and CCTV installed at counting center
  • District Collector Vishu Mahajan inspected arrangements
  • 13,88,186 voters across six constituencies in Thoothukudi
  • Counting of votes scheduled for May 4
3 min read

TN Assembly polls: Sealed EVMs shifted to strong rooms in Thoothukudi amid tight security

Sealed EVMs from Tamil Nadu Assembly elections shifted to strong rooms in Thoothukudi amid tight security. Counting set for May 4.

"More than 500 election officials and government staff are involved in the process, ensuring that each machine is securely stored - Election officials"

Thoothukudi, April 24

The Legislative Assembly elections held across Tamil Nadu on April 23 concluded peacefully. The sealed Electronic Voting Machines have shifted to strong rooms following the conclusion of voting in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections on April 23 amid tight security.

Polling, which began at 7:00 am, ended at 6:00 am on Thursday, following which the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and VVPAT devices used in all polling stations were properly sealed by election officials.

From Thursday midnight, the machines were loaded onto vehicles from respective constituencies. It was transported under tight police security, including armed personnel, to the central counting centre set up at the VOC Government Engineering College campus in Thoothukudi.

At the venue, the work of placing the EVMs in designated strong rooms was carried out in full swing. More than 500 election officials and government staff are involved in the process, ensuring that each machine is securely stored in accordance with prescribed guidelines.

Subsequently, the process of transporting the sealed voting machines from all six Assembly constituencies in Thoothukudi district began on Thursday night. From around midnight, the machines were loaded onto vehicles from respective constituencies and transported under tight police security, including armed personnel, to the central counting center set up at the VOC Government Engineering College campus in Thoothukudi. The operation continued throughout the night.

In addition, all strong rooms housing the EVMs are under heavy police protection, with armed security personnel deployed round the clock. CCTV cameras have been installed across the counting center and inside all strong rooms to ensure continuous monitoring.

Meanwhile, the Thoothukudi District Collector, Vishu Mahajan, visited the site this morning and conducted a detailed inspection of the arrangements. He held discussions with officials and instructed them to ensure that there were no lapses in the security of the voting machines.

Polling for all six Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district concluded amid tight security on Thursday. The voting was concluded at 6:00 pm.

A large number of voters turned up and stood in long queues to cast their votes. In total, the district has 13,88,186 voters, including 6,77,004 men, 7,10,981 women, and 201 third-gender voters across the six constituencies. A total of 1,868 polling stations were set up for the election.

Geetha Jeevan is a two-time MLA from the Thoothukudi seat, and won the last elections by a huge margin of 50,310 (26.9 per cent) votes against AIADMK's Sdr Vijayaseelan. This time, she is pitted against AIADMK's former MLA from Thoothukudi, ST Chellapandian.

The counting of votes will take place on May 4.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Siddharth J
The voter turnout numbers are impressive - over 13.88 lakh voters and 1,868 polling stations. But I hope the EVM sealing process is transparent enough. We've seen controversies before. Let's trust the system this time.
M
Matthew K
Impressive logistical operation - transporting EVMs from all six constituencies overnight under tight security. This is the kind of efficiency we need in our electoral processes. Well done to the Thoothukudi administration.
P
Priya S
As a Tamilian living abroad, I always follow our elections closely. The dedication of 500+ officials working through the night is truly commendable. Democracy is alive and well in India! 🇮🇳
L
Lisa P
Interesting that Geetha Jeevan won by a huge margin last time. Let's see if Chellapandian can make a comeback. But whichever way it goes, I hope the winner serves the people of Thoothukudi well.
R
Raghav A
One suggestion: they should allow political party representatives to monitor the strong rooms 24/7, not just rely on CCTV. More transparency will build more trust among voters. Otherwise, good arrangements.
A
Ananya R
The fact that 201 third-gender voters also exercised their franchise is heartening. Inclusive democracy is the way forward. Every vote counts! 💪

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