Poll candidates to be monitored on social media

“We are gearing up to track the advertisement expenses of political parties on social media (each candidate permitted Rs 28 lakh for on and off line ads). We will also keep a close watch to ensure they follow standard guidelines and not issue any communal and incineratory statements, he added. 

Speaking to DT Next , Lakhoni also said his office has already communicated the examination date schedule to the Election Commission, which will soon announce the poll dates to Tamil Nadu Assembly falling due this summer. EC officials have already visited two of the five poll-bound states, namely Assam and West Bengal. “We expect them to visit Kerala, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu after Pongal,” he said. Polling dates would be announced after that. 

Lakhoni also said the number of polling stations might go up from the current 65,616. He also said 18,000 EPIC cards have already been distributed to those who lost their voter IDs during the recent floods. ‘The process of issuing the remaining IDs would start from today,” he said.