Tamil Nadu ULB polls: All eyes on vote count today

The political fate of over 57,000 aspiring councillor candidates will be decided on Tuesday when the votes are counted at 268 counting centres. “Counting of votes for the urban local body polls will commence at 8 am on Tuesday and all necessary arrangements are in place,” TN State Election Commissioner V Palanikumar said on Monday after a video conferencing with district collectors to review the counting arrangements.

According to TNSEC sources, votes will be counted with 10 to 16 tables put up at each counting centre and the results of each round will be released online before the counting of the second round. Postal votes are likely to be counted first. The low polling percentage and the use of EVMs are expected to throw the winning trend within three hours of counting, sources said.

Meanwhile, on the eve of counting, Chief Minister MK Stalin and leader of the opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami got into a war of words even as they advised their party cadres to stay vigil till the end of counting.

TNSEC in January issued a notification for 12,838 vacant posts of these 218 candidates declared unopposed winners. In a new trend, the TNSEC also cancelled the election to Kadambur town panchayat in Tuticorin district.

The opposition AIADMK and other opposition parties have started petitioning the TNSEC against the local poll officials alleging they are taking orders from the ruling DMK camp. The DMK functionaries also filed complaints against the AIADMK men alleging they had distributed cash for votes.

The indirect polls to 1,298 posts, including 21 mayors, will be held on March 4.