CHENNAI: In a first-of-its-kind move in the State's electoral politics, the ruling DMK has introduced a micro-level monitoring system by appointing a nodal functionary for every two to three polling booths ahead of the Assembly election.
Party sources said the nodal functionaries will act as a link between booth-level agents (BLAs) and the party high command, submitting regular reports on campaign activities and polling preparations.
Each Assembly constituency has around 200 to 250 polling booths, while the Election Commission of India (ECI) has established 75,032 polling booths across Tamil Nadu. As per revised norms, each booth will cater to no more than 1,200 voters.
While major political parties such as the DMK and AIADMK already deploy agents at every booth, the DMK has now taken a further step by introducing an additional monitoring layer.
"District and constituency-level leaders cannot effectively oversee all booths on polling day. To address this, nodal functionaries have been appointed for every two or three booths to ensure close monitoring," a party source said.
The nodal functionaries are expected to submit frequent ground-level reports, enabling the party leadership to fine-tune its electoral strategy at the booth level.
"This is a first-of-its-kind strategy in Tamil Nadu elections. It will help the party respond quickly based on real-time feedback," a booth-level agent from Chennai said.
Meanwhile, the DMK's IT wing has instructed district units to set up 'war rooms' in each district to coordinate election-related activities.
In a statement, Industries Minister and DMK IT wing secretary TRB Rajaa directed district functionaries to expedite the establishment of these war rooms in consultation with district secretaries, to strengthen campaign coordination and data management during the election period.