Chennai: With the campaign for the 19 February urban local body elections in Tamilnadu coming to an end this evening, the countdown has started for polling.
The State Election Commission is busy making arrangements for the D-Day. State Election Commissioner V Palanikumar chaired a meeting in Chennai and reviewed the arrangements made relating to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and security for polling booths.
Meanwhile, the last day of campaigning witnessed high decibel electioneering as part of last minute efforts to woo voters.
Candidates in many parts of the State adopted novel methods to reach out to the people. Elections will be held to fill up 12,607 posts, which included 1,374 Corporation Ward members, 3,843 Municipality Ward members and 7,621 Town Panchayat member posts.
Polling would be held on 19 February and the counting of votes will take place on 22 February.
After the newly elected members assume office on 2 March, indirect elections for the Mayors and Deputy Mayors of the Corporations, the Chairpersons and Vice-chairpersons of the Municipalities and the Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the Town Panchayats will be held on 4 March.
The elections would witness a multi-cornered contest. Heading the field was the DMK-led Front, which consists of Congress, MDMK, VCK, CPI, CPI(M) and TVK.
The Principal Opposition AIADMK is facing the polls along with TMC, after the PMK and the BJP, which had faced the 2021 Assembly polls together, walked out of the front and will contest the polls alone.
Other parties in the fray included, the DMDK of actor-politician Vijayakanth, actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam, Naam Tamizhar Katchi of actor-director Seeman, AMMK led by TTV Dhinakaran, who is the nephew of expelled AIADMK leader V K Sasikala and other minor outfits.