Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 9 (ANI): The counting of votes for the Dharapuram Assembly constituency by-election held on October 6 began on Friday, with the process scheduled to take place in 23 rounds across 14 tables.
Security has been tightened in Tiruppur with the police starting to barricade the city. The LRG Government Arts and Science College for Women has especially been placed under tight security cover to ensure smooth operations during the counting of votes.
A total of 22 candidates contested the by-election, including Sathyabama from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Sukanya from DMK, Bhanumathi from AIADMK, Lakshmanan from the Communist Party of India (CPI), and Karthika of Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK).
Polling was held at 320 polling stations across 186 locations in the constituency. Out of the 2,23,306 registered voters, 1,79,214 cast their votes, recording a turnout of 80.25 per cent.
In the previous Assembly election, Dharapuram recorded a voter turnout of 89.9 per cent. The turnout in the by-election has therefore declined by 9.65 percentage points.
The lower turnout is attributed to reduced voter interest in a by-election compared to a general election, with voters working in other districts not returning to their hometowns to vote. However, political observers point out that by-elections in Tamil Nadu generally record a turnout 5 to 10 percentage points lower than general elections.
Against this backdrop, the 80.25 per cent turnout in Dharapuram is considered relatively high compared with several previous by-elections.
The vote counting is being held at the LRG Government Arts and Science College for Women near the Tiruppur District Collector Office. A total of 642 ballot units, 321 control units and 337 VVPAT machines used during polling have been securely stored in the strong room.
Counting of postal ballots began at 8 AM at two tables, followed by the counting of votes recorded in electronic voting machines (EVMs) from 8.30 AM.
At the end of each round, the number of votes secured by each candidate will be announced separately. The trends of the winning candidate are expected to become clearer around 11 AM, depending on the margin between the candidates in the first and second positions.
However, the party representatives say that a narrow margin in the final rounds could lead to changes in the lead before the final result is declared.
More than 200 police personnel have been deployed at LRG College to ensure security during the counting process involving central paramilitary personnel, Armed Reserve Police and local police.
A total of 64 CCTV cameras have been installed around the strong room, counting centre and college campus to facilitate round-the-clock surveillance. Five watchtowers have also been erected to strengthen security. Bomb disposal personnel and Fire and Rescue Services teams, along with fire engines, have been kept on standby.
The security arrangements and continuous surveillance will remain in force until the counting process is completed and the final election result is officially announced.
The final result for the Dharapuram constituency will be declared after all 23 rounds of counting are completed and the postal ballot and EVM votes are consolidated.
Moreover, the counting of votes for the Thatchanjavady Assembly constituency in Puducherry has begun at 8 AM today.
The counting centre is located at the Motilal Nehru Government Polytechnic College campus in Laspettai. All party members, candidates and their agents are being allowed inside after identity verification and security checks from 7 AM.
Polling held on October 6 recorded an impressive voter turnout of 80.81 per cent, with 21,756 out of 26,921 eligible voters casting their ballots.
Postal votes will be counted first, followed by EVM votes. The results are likely to be out by 10 AM.
Key contenders include All India NR Congress (AINRC) Ashok Anand, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) K. Sethu Selvam, Congress’ E Vinayagam, and Communist Party of India’s (CPI) AM Salim, along with others. A total of 11 candidates are in the fray. (ANI)