Election Fever Persists Though Leaders Leave Chennai

Chennai: The election fever that gripped the state for more than a month refused to end on Saturday, two days after voting was completed; EVMs have been locked in strong rooms and senior leaders like Chief Minister MK Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin have left the city for short breaks since speculations about the results started filling social media channels and other conversations.

While some suggested that more voters were clicking on the ‘whistle’ symbol in EVMs than previously expected, there was a perception that Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) might emerge as the dark horse, but the general impression was that the real fight was between traditional rivals DMK and AIADMK, with the ruling party and its allies having an advantage over the others.

DMK’s systematic work to reach out to voters through its army of gentlemen who persistently interacted with people at all levels throughout the elections was the talk of the town and pointed to their possible overall victory.

Informing the counting representatives of the AIADMK on how to conduct themselves during the counting of votes that will begin on May 4, the party’s general secretary Edappadi K Palaiswwami on Saturday warned them about malpractices and appealed to them to be careful since the inauguration of the powerful chambers.

Asking them to ensure that the seals of EVMs are not tampered with before the counting begins, he told them to take extra time and be careful during the counting process as he foresees DMK representatives creating trouble that may even turn violent.

If party representatives notice any polling officer showing bias towards any political party, the matter should be brought to the attention of the counting officials immediately. He also said that agencies should remain in place until the process is completed and not leave the center before it is closed.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) said its officials will manually visit each strong room in 62 locations spread across the state and ensure that EVMs and VVPAT machines are secure, while also reviewing the protection provided to the centers under the three-layer security protocol.

Senior ECI officials clarified that the voter turnout of 85.15 per cent need not be the final figure as the actual number of votes polled in each booth officially recorded in Form 17C will be cross-checked with the ECI headquarters.

The final figures to be announced by the ECI will include postal votes, service votes and votes cast by senior citizens and persons with disabilities. It will also include details on gender distinctions such as men, women and transgender people.