TN ready for bypolls to 21 vacant seats, along with LS race: Sahoo

“Till 2018, the State had 65,972 booths and now the present status of the approved polling booths is 67,664. Extra booths might be added,” Sahoo said.

In urban areas, there are 26,133 booths and in rural areas there are 41,531. The election machinery is all geared up for the polls and the verification of forms submitted seeking inclusion and deletion of names is under way. There is  adequate stock of Electronic Voting Machines, (EVMS) and Voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT), a method of providing feedback to voters using a ballotless voting system. As of now, 1,67,932 ballot units and 91,902 control units are there along with 88,447 VVPATs.

The State also demanded an additional stock of EVMS and has received 4,950 extra ballot units along with 4,460 control units, the CEO said. Forms seeking inclusion and correction in voters roll will be encouraged till the last date of nominations. The CEO also appealed to the voters to check the voters roll for verifications. The voters can also reach out to the helpline 1950 for assistance, Sahoo said. The EC had also made amendments to the election regulations and now the candidates must file I-T returns for five years.