Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said nomination filing for the 234 Assembly constituencies will effectively be open for only five working days, as public holidays fall within the schedule.
She said nominations will be accepted from March 30 to April 6, but applications will be received only on working days between 11.00 am and 3.00 pm.
As of March 15, the state has 5.69 crore voters, including 2.90 crore women, 2.78 crore men and 7,656 third-gender voters. To monitor the Model Code of Conduct, 2,106 flying squads have been formed, and district election officers have been issued instructions to improve the polling-station experience.
Patnaik said around 3.50 lakh personnel will be deployed for election duty, with first-round training completed and second-round training under way. Vehicle checks have led to the seizure of Rs 1.26 crore up to Tuesday morning, while officials have been instructed not to inconvenience the public during inspections.
Campaigning will be permitted from 6.00 am to 10.00 pm, and permissions must be sought online. She added that 50 companies of central paramilitary forces have arrived for security duty and election observers are expected soon, while online financial transactions will be monitored and parties will be advised on safety measures for gatherings of over 5,000 people.
