Tamil Nadu: All-party meeting in Chennai before elections, discussion on expenditure and security

Tamil Nadu: To streamline the election process ahead of the assembly elections, an all-party consultation meeting was held on Monday for the 16 assembly constituencies in Chennai district. The meeting, held at the Income Tax Department office premises, was attended by representatives from various political parties, including the DMK, AIADMK, and the BJP. The meeting discussed in detail the problems faced during the election campaign and their solutions.

Pratap Singh, Central Special Observer for the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, briefed the media after the meeting. He stated that this dialogue with political parties was conducted to ensure a fair and peaceful election, in which the parties also expressed their views.

He stated that cases of candidates exceeding the Election Commission’s expenditure limits have been reported in 105 assembly constituencies across the state. Cash, gold, silver, and narcotics worth approximately ₹1,200 crore have been seized across the state, with cases registered in cases involving approximately ₹500 crore. The highest number of drug seizures occurred in Tiruvallur district, followed by Chennai.

District election officials have requested increased surveillance and security in the border areas of Chennai district. Additional security forces and paramilitary forces will be deployed in the border areas. Additionally, monitoring is being conducted in collaboration with the Income Tax Department to prevent illegal money transactions through mobile apps.

According to officials, cases have been registered and investigations have been initiated into the distribution of tokens to voters by political parties in Chennai, Salem, and Hosur. Additionally, 5,938 polling stations across Tamil Nadu have been declared sensitive, where additional security arrangements will be made.

The Election Commission has received approximately 200,000 postal votes so far. 155 observers have been deployed to monitor the election process. 300 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed to strengthen security in the state.

With the election campaign now over, the administration’s full attention is now focused on ensuring a peaceful and fair election. Extensive preparations are underway for the April 23rd vote, ensuring that all voters can exercise their franchise without any obstacles.