In 24 hours, booths to get EVMs

Due to intensified raids, within a day Rs 1.63 crore had been seized by the squads and the total cash seizure as on date is Rs 132.91 crore. A sum of Rs 55 crore had been seized till now through Income Tax raids and the overall cash seizure in the state in terms of value is around Rs 286 crore.

More than one lakh postal votes had been recorded till now and the stationary items are ready for the polls, the CEO said.

Regarding the complaints against political parties, the CEO said so far 261 complaints had been registered. AIADMK and AMMK top the list with 68 and 55 complaints. Cases have also been registered against DMK, Congress, BJP, PMK and VCK, the CEO said.

To ensure law and order during the polling, preventive arrests are made and flag marches are conducted. Till now 23 people with criminal background have been arrested. To address the complaints, the c-VIGIL app and the helpline complaints are attended. Till now 1,076 complaints related to c-VIGIL had been addressed of the total 2,387 complaints.

According to the EC sources, the state is gearing up for free and fair polls and positioning of paramilitary force has started and additional forces are expected to arrive on Tuesday. A total of 3.5 lakh government staff and nearly, 63,000 state police ready for poll duty. Security arrangements at all strong rooms will be intensified on Thursday. CCTV cameras and 30,000 web cameras will be set up outside every booth, poll officials said.

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The Election Commission on Monday passed a notification suspending campaign in four vacant assembly seats from April 16 to 18. The campaign for all Lok Sabha seats will end by Tuesday and the campaign for vacant assembly seats will resume after polling, EC officials said. The EC in a notification said that the political parties should refrain from campaigning in four bypoll bound assembly constituencies of Aravakuruchi, Ottapidaram (SC), Sulur and Tirupparankundram. The gazette notification for the four bypolls seats polling to be held on May 19 would be issued on April 22 and the last date for filing nominations is on April 29. The nominations would be scrutinised on April 30 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations would be on May 2.