CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik on Monday said candidates will have only five days to file their nominations for the April 23 Assembly election, as several public holidays fall within the nomination period.
Addressing reporters at the Secretariat following the poll announcement by the Election Commission of India, Patnaik said as per schedule, nominations were to be filed from March 30 to April 6; however, due to three public holidays coming in between, the effective number of working days available for filing nominations will only be five instead of eight.
She also noted that the total number of voters in TN has increased from 5.67 crore to 5.69 crore after updates made following the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
To ensure the strict enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), which came into force on Sunday evening, the Election Department has formed 2,106 flying squads and as many static surveillance teams across the State.
"Cash and valuables carried without proper documents will be seized. Cash and gift articles worth about Rs 1.26 crore have already been seized within 12 hours of the MCC coming into effect," Patnaik said.
Clarifying concerns regarding such seizures, she said individuals carrying cash or valuables with valid documents would not face any trouble, adding that officials have been instructed not to harass the public.
She said around 23 enforcement agencies are assisting the Election Department in monitoring violations, including suspicious digital transactions.