Political graffiti, symbols, paintings and flags are being removed or covered across the Nilgiris.

The exercise, which started from Monday, is to ensure that all government property and public spaces are free from political symbols, to abide by the model code of conduct.

On Tuesday, retaining walls by the side of the roads, especially along the Mettupalayam-Coonoor-Udhagamandalam highway, were whitewashed.

Flags of political parties have also been removed from various places across the district.

However, the JJ memorial pillar at the Government Botanical Garden, built to commemorate the hundredth anniversary since the founding of the garden, is not covered till Tuesday evening.

The Nilgiris district administration, in a press release, stated that 26 teams - flying squads, static surveillance teams, video surveillance teams, video viewing teams and accounting teams - had been formed to monitor model code violations.

The teams had seized ₹ 4,17,910 in unaccounted cash in Udhagamandalam and Coonoor, the release added.

The Nilgiris District Collector Innocent Divya inspected the schools in Udhagamandalam that are to be used as polling booths to check whether they had adequate facilities for the voters, especially for persons with disabilities.