State Election Commission to follow COVID protocol strategies of ECI

The State Election Commission has notified COVID protocols in the Tamil Nadu gazette notification to facilitate the polling for a period of 12 hours against the usual practice of 10 hours. The protocol strategy used by the Election Commission of India (ECI) will be followed and polling for rural local bodies will be from 7 am to 7 pm, an informed official said. The polling booths will adhere to the social distancing norms and more booths are to be operated like the May 2021 Assembly polls, the official said.

So far there has been no update on elections to the mMayor and deputy mayor posts to Chennai corporation, but the voters' rolls are revised and kept ready. The urban local bodies are likely to have polls after the rural local body polls in nine districts, the process of which was delayed last year due to the delimitation exercise, the official said.

Earlier this week, the revised voters roll had also been updated with the District Election Offices. The polls are likely to happen by next month before the onset of monsoon, an official source said. It may be noted that the ruling DMK and the opposition AIADMK have begun poll works in districts of Chengalpattu, Kallakurichi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Kancheepuram, Tirupattur, Ranipet, and Vellore districts.