The stage is set for polling to be held to elect 39 members to the
18th Lok Sabha from Tamil Nadu on Friday.
Along with the Lok Sabha polls, bye-election to the Vilavancode Assembly seat, which fell
vacant following the resignation of sitting Congress MLA Ms S.Vijayadharani, will also be
held.
An estimated 6.23 crore voters, including 3.17 crore women and 3.06 crore men, are
expected to cast their ballots in this democratic exercise.
A day after the intense and high voltage campaign ended, with the leaders of prominent
political parties and their candidates wrapping it up after making last ditch efforts to woo
the voters, the stage is all set for single phase polling tomorrow.
The single phase polling, to be held in the first phase as part of the seven-phase elections
announced by the Election Commission across the country, will begin at 0700 hrs and end
at 1800 hrs and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been despatched to all the booths
amid tight security.
Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo said all arrangements have been made
to ensure a free and fair poll, while exuding confidence that the turn out, which was around
70 to 73 per cent mark in the previous elections, will surpass this year with the enrollment of
nearly 9.18 lakh voters, with 5.26 lakh of them in the 18-19 age group, added during the Special.
Summary Revision of electoral rolls.
The ECI also conducted several awareness campaigns across the State to ensure 100 per cent
polling.
Polling will be held in more than 68,321 polling across the State, including 177 auxiliary stations.
A total of 950 candidates, including 609 Independents are the fray and their fate will be sealed
tomorrow after the polling.
