Tamil Nadu: Parties well prepared with backup for agents on D-Day

CHENNAI: The counting is set to be held in the midst of a raging pandemic and political parties are not taking any chances. They have sent more of their cadres to undergo RTPCR tests as a backup.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has made Covid-19 negative reports mandatory for the officials (on election duty) and agents to enter the counting centres. The authorities have conducted exclusive camps to conduct RT PCR tests for the agents and journalists in the last three to four days.
For each assembly constituency, there would be 14 to 20 tables depending upon the number of voters. For instance, the Kavundampalayam constituency in Coimbatore district would have 20 tables and the remaining nine constituencies would have 14 tables each.
For each table, an agent of political party/candidate would be permitted. Apart from this, an agent for each returning officer table, postal ballot (government employees) and postal ballot (voters above 80s years) and a chief agent for each assembly counting area. The ECI has permitted the political parties to send cadres extra for the RT PCR test as a replacement if any of the agents in the primary list is tested Covid postive.
DMK principal secretary KN Nehru who is the Trichy west constituency candidate of the party told ToI today that they are yet to receive the results of their agents. “Several of our people have taken the vaccines. Even though some people test positive, we can replace them with the substitutes who also underwent the tests. So, there will be no issues,” Nehru said.
State CPM secretary K Balakrishnan said that the party has asked five to six functionaries to undergo the RT PCR test in addition to the designated agents.
An AIADMK party man in Trichy said on Friday that the results of the RT PCR have started coming in from today. None of them tested positive for Covid-19 so far. The results of the others are expected on Saturday too.
BJP state general secretary Karu Nagarajan said that 60 of the party cadres underwent the mandatory RT PCR test. Except for two to three, the remaining test report came negative. So, they have adequate cadres to replace the designated agents as a backup for Thousand Lights and Harbour constituencies for counting.
(With input from Gokulraj, V Mayilvanan and Ananth)