3 weeks ago
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A lack of uniformity in using the mobile-based application by election officials on the day of polling in Tamil Nadu, led to the confusion in calculating the polling percentage, it has emerged.
While most of the election officials fed in inputs in the mobile-based app, a few did not do so and hence sample data was used and it was shared with the media, Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo said in Chennai on Monday. When the sample was less, the skew was more, he said. It was not mandatory for officials to key in inputs, as many of them may be busy with the polling on.
There was a prominent difference between the polling percentage shared by the respective ROs and the office of the CEO on the day of the polling. Every two hours on the day of polling, the offices of the respective ROs and the CEO was sharing figures.
The inputs fed in by officials on the app ‘Poll Turnout Monitoring System’ was for internal use, maintained Mr Sahoo. The information shared by the respective Returning Officers (ROs) was final, he said.
171 surveillance teams to continue in border districts
The Election Commission of India has retained 171 surveillance teams in Tamil Nadu, including 69 Flying Squad Teams (FST) and 102 Static Surveillance Teams (SST) in 12 districts sharing borders with poll-bound States.
Besides, 12 FSTs have been deployed in Krishnagiri nine each in Salem, Theni and Vellore, six each in Erode, Kanniyakumnari and Tirupattur, three each in Coimbatore, Tenkasi, the Nilgiris and Tiruppur districts.
SST have been positioned in Tirunelveli, Tiruvallur (15 each), Krishnagiri (12), Salem, Theni and Vellore (nine each), Coimbatore, Erode, Kanniyakumari and Tirupathur (six each), Tenkasi, the Nilgiris and Tiruppur (three each) districts.
All the 39 counting centres across Tamil Nadu are under the CCTV surveillance and the respective Returning Officers would visit the ‘strong rooms’ daily to check their security. A total of 15 companies of central armed police force personnel are involved in the guarding of the strong rooms in all 39 constituencies.
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The Tamil Nadu government has requested the Election Commission of India seeking to relax certain restrictions, which are in place, as part of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), as the polling process was completed in the State.
When asked about if there was any plea from the State government, Mr. Sahoo maintained: “We have sent all the representations requesting for relaxing the MCC restrictions to the Election Commission.”
The State government has requested for relaxing restrictions so that Ministers would be able to conduct review meetings and carry out routine functions of the bureaucracy.
As polling have been completed in all 39 Lok Sabha constituencies and the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been moved to the counting centres, many associations have requested for relaxing certain provisions of the MCC.
