CHENNAI: In a first, a team of 20 international observers from 10 countries arrived in Chennai to study the election-related activities on the penultimate day before polling. The observers were given a detailed brief of the polling activities at the NKD National Girls Higher Secondary School under the Chepauk-Triplicane assembly constituency on Wednesday.
The Election Commission has extended an invitation to the representatives of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) and heads of diplomatic missions from various countries to participate in the international election visitors programme scheduled from April 20 to 24.
As part of this programme, 20 delegates from election management bodies and diplomatic officials from Bhutan, Egypt, Mauritius, Moldova, Indonesia, Benin, Sri Lanka, Peru, Ghana, and Namibia arrived in Chennai to witness the Tamil Nadu Assembly election process.
A press release from the Chief Electoral Officer said, "During this visit, the delegates saw the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and polling materials dispatch centre at the Chepauk-Triplicane Assembly Constituency. Further, they visited district-level integrated election control rooms and media monitoring centres. The delegates' team also had interaction with the Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer and the team."
These delegates will personally observe the voting process at the polling stations in the State Assembly elections on Thursday. "The primary goal of this initiative is to introduce the world to India's massive electoral infrastructure, the use of modern technology, and innovations in election management," said the press release.
Through this, international representatives can learn about the practices followed by the State Election Commission and explore opportunities to implement them in their own countries.