The Election Commission of India has decided to extend the hours of polling for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election by an hour, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said here on Thursday.
It also decided to send two special expenditure observers to the State in view of the charges of money distribution.
The decision followed suggestions from representatives of some political parties. “Some party representatives suggested that the polling hours be extended. We discussed this and because of the physical distancing norms, we have decided to extend the polling hours by one hour,” Mr. Arora said.
Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha and Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo would work out the details. “When we announce the election, the exact hours will also be announced,” Mr. Arora said at a press conference, accompanied by Election Commissioners Sushil Chandra and Rajiv Kumar.
At least two special expenditure observers would be sent to Tamil Nadu to watch for money distribution, he said.
These officers would have retired from senior government positions, such as Secretary to the Government of India or the Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes.
As for ‘randomisation’ of the Central police forces deployed in poll-bound areas, the Commission decided to appoint the coordinator of the Central Armed Police Forces to the apex committee that decides where these forces are deployed. Hitherto, the State governments had decided on deployments. The decision would be applicable not only to the five poll-bound States but also to all of India.
At the district level too, the senior-most general observer would be part of the local committee. “This is a major decision we have taken. It will be formally conveyed to the Chief Electoral Officers in the next two to three days,” Mr. Arora said.
Though political parties in Tamil Nadu were divided over postal ballots for those aged above 80, Mr. Arora hinted that the Commission would go ahead with the decision since no malpractice was found in the casting of postal ballots for the elderly in the Bihar Assembly election.
The elections in Tamil Nadu had consistently witnessed a high voter turnout, he said, and the Commission expected a higher turnout in the forthcoming elections. It was committed to “free, fair, peaceful, accessible, inclusive, inducement-free and COVID-19-safe elections,” he said.
The COVID-19 situation in Tamil Nadu was on the “receding curve”, he said. As for the parties’ request to hold the counting within a day or two of polling, Mr. Arora said it would not be possible “since the outcome would affect polls in other States”. Not all the States would go for single-phase polling and some would have even six to seven-phase polling, he said.
To a question on money distribution, Mr. Arora said that had the Commission not been serious about the problem, it would not have rescinded the by-election to the R.K. Nagar Assembly constituency and the Lok Sabha election in Vellore — the “harshest action taken by the EC in any State.” Before winding up the press conference, he hoped there would not be any Vellore and R.K. Nagar, where the elections had to be rescinded in view of money distribution.