Conduct Elections in a Single Phase – Tamil Parties Urge CEC

Several political parties in Tamil Nadu have requested that the Assembly elections be conducted in a single phase, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said. He stated that the Election Commission will examine the request from all angles and take a decision at the time of announcing the election schedule. He assured that a clear announcement will be made regarding the matter.

Reviewing the state’s election preparedness, the CEC said the recent SIR process in Tamil Nadu has emerged as a model for the country and was completed successfully despite criticism from some parties. He praised officials for maintaining professionalism in revising voter lists and said the Commission aims to conduct the polls more efficiently than previous elections. Candidates will be allowed to verify VVPAT slips with EVM records within seven days after counting, on payment of a prescribed fee. Postal ballots will be counted in two rounds before the EVM counting begins.