TN elections before May 24, ECI to send expenditure observers

Chennai, Feb 11: The Election Commission of India said that it will send two special expenditure observers to Tamil Nadu to keep a check on money distribution in a bid to influence the outcome of the elections.

The announcement was made here by Chief Election Commissioner, Sunil Arora after his two day visit to check the poll preparedness in the state, where elections are due this year.

Arora said that the polls in Vellore and R K Nagar had been rescinded owing to corruption and this was the harshest decision that the Election Commission took. We want to conduct an inducement free and COVID-19 free election, he also added.

It may be recalled that in the previous elections, the delegation had focused on the influence of money and goodies and liquor in the polls.

On Wednesday the Arora led election panel met with political parties, which were united in their demand for a single phase poll. The ECI said that it was considering the suggestion to hold state polls in April due to heat and the examinations and also the Tamil Nadu New Year. Arora said that the polls will be held before May 24 when the term of the current assembly expires.

On the request by the parties that votes should be counted a couple of days after the polling, he said that they had explained that this could not be done, when polls are being conducted in five other states, which could be conducted in several phases. The results of one state will affect the voting pattern in another, Arora said.