Voting has begun at 7 a.m. across 234 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu. Over 5.73 crore voters will decide the fate of 4,023 candidates in the high-stakes polls. Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said the state is fully prepared for the democratic exercise.
The high-stakes contest pits the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance against the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance, with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin seeking to retain power and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami aiming to return to office after five years.
At a press conference in Chennai on April 22, Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said, “The total electoral strength stands at 5.73 crore, comprising 2.93 crore women, 2.83 crore men, and 7,728 third-gender persons.” She noted that 14,59,039 first-time voters have been enrolled. Authorities issued 243 rebuttals and clarifications to counter misinformation on social media during the campaign.
Polling will run from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mock polling was conducted at 5.30 a.m. in all booths in the presence of booth agents, with 50 votes cast in each and verified against voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units.
The Election Commission of India has set up over 75,000 polling booths statewide, with more than 3.4 lakh election officials deployed. In Erode district, 17,59,157 electors across eight constituencies will vote at 2,379 booths.
