TN local body polls: counting on Oct 18

Chennai, Oct 17: Counting of votes for the two-phased local body elections in Tamil Nadu will start tomorrow amid tight security arrangements.

The counting will begin at 0800 hrs and the results will be announced forenoon onwards.

The polling, which was held on October 13 and 15, was conducted using ballot papers. Elaborate security measures have been made in all 792 counting centres across the state.

Polling was 71.53 per cent being held for 1,30,962 posts, including 1,17,302 in rural bodies and nearly four lakh candidates in the fray.

While the Corporations of Chennai, Coimbatore, Salem and Tirunelveli went to the polls in the first phase on October 13, elections for Madurai and Tiruchirapalli corporations were held in the second phase on October 15.

Due to various reasons, repoll was held in 90 polling booths across the state.

In Chennai, which witnessed large scale violence and incidents of booth capturing, the counting will depend on Madras High Court's interim order on a petition filed by the Opposition AIADMK, seeking a stay on the counting. The interim order is expected this evening.

The State Election Commission had announced that it would soon issue notification on the indirect election of Corporation Mayors, Deputy Mayors and Municipality Chairpersons to be held on October 28.

UNI