Bank ink on left finger will disqualify voters: CEO

In his appeal to the voters, Chief electoral officer Rajesh Lakhoni referred to provisions of rule 49K of the Conduct of Elections Rules 1961, which requires the left forefinger of electors to be marked with indelible ink at the polling stations before the electors are allowed to vote, and said, “The banks are applying ink on right hand. The electors of Aravakurichi, Thanjavur and Tiruparankundram Assembly constituencies are requested to take precaution that even by mistake the indelible ink should not be applied on the left hand while exchanging currency.”

Small change big problem Meanwhile, the shortage of small change has hit the state-run liquor outlets, vegetable markets and small vendors in Tamil Nadu even as a large number of people continued to throng banks and ATMs which ran dry within a few hours. Most of the cash-vending machines remained non-functional and the few that were functioning ran out of cash. The state-run Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) liquor outlets, which generate an annual revenue of Rs 25,000 crore, have witnessed a sharp fall in sales due to the Centre’s demonetisation move. The vegetable market at Koyambedu, which does business of over Rs 4 crore daily, is witnessing poor sales with only a few people turning up.