Local body polls: All set for second phase today

Voters rolls, ballot papers, indelible ink were moved to the booths on Friday night. The second phase of polling would commence at 7 am Saturday and ballot papers would be moved to the strong rooms on Saturday night, said an informed government official on poll duty.

All the strong rooms would be covered under two-tier security and monitored round the clock through CCTV surveillance. Last time the social distancing norms were not followed and this time specific instructions have been given to decongest polling booths by swift polling process, the official said.

Further, this time number of voters were lesser by around six lakhs when compared to the first phase in which 41 lakh voters were eligible, the official explained.

All the votes polled in first and second phases would be counted on October 12 and the indirect polls to elect the president and chairman would be held on October 30. More than one lakh government personnel would be involved in the election process, the official added.

Those with symptoms of COVID-19 would be allowed to vote during the last one hour in PPE gear, but no one with COVID symptoms turned up to vote during the first phase, the official said.

Election officials on Thursday urged the political party workers from other districts to move out of the poll-bound locality. The AIADMK had already warned protests against the DMK and the State Election Commission alleging that the model code of conduct was being violated by the ruling party men.

Earlier in the day, officials ordered re-polling for Ward 3 in Tenkasi district as voters of ward 2 voted in the polling booth earmarked for ward 3. The State Election Commission also revised the polling percentage of the first phase to 77.43 per cent with Kancheepuram recording the highest turnout of 84.30 per cent and Chengalpattu registering the lowest of 66.71 per cent.