CHENNAI: After a month-long campaign, political parties fell silent on Wednesday as the Election Commission went all out in its last-ditch effort to ensure smooth polling in Tamil Nadu on Thursday.Electronic voting machines were dispatched to polling stations amid tight security, while flying squads stepped up vigil to prevent last-minute cash distributions. Chief electoral officer Archana Patnaik said 300 companies of paramilitary forces and more than 83,800 police personnel have been deployed to guard polling stations across the state.
Ballot units are delivered to polling stations amid tense vigil
Election Commission officials traveled 65 kilometers uphill from Theni to move the voting units to a remote polling station at Vellimalai Estate in Varusanadu in Andipatti assembly district, which can accommodate only five voters. The Oothukadu polling station in Bodinayakanur has 307 voters but there is no motorable access and the EVMs ride through the forest on horseback.Meanwhile, transportation hubs were packed as voters returned to their hometowns to cast their votes. Some voters also arrived from abroad to participate in the electoral process. Representatives from several countries also visited Chennai under the International Election Visitors Scheme to study the voting process.
