Tamil Nadu: Early leads will be known by 9 am – Times of India

CHENNAI: Counting of votes of assembly elections will start at 8 am on Sunday and leads in the first round would be available by 9 am. The counting of 4.57 crore votes cast in the April 6 elections will happen in 75 halls across the state. At the University College of Engineering in Nagercoil counting for Kanyakumari LS bypoll will take place.
The counting will start with postal ballots of voters aged over 80 years and persons with disabilities and Covid infection. Service votes will be counted separately. “Half-an-hour later, the counting of EVMs will begin. Every 30 minutes, one round will be completed. The results can also be known from www.results.eci.gov.in or www.elections.tn.gov.in.,” said an official.
There are 3,372 counting tables for EVMs, 739 for postal ballots and 309 for service votes, which will be manned by a supervisor, assistant and a micro-observer from the Central government service. The agents will not be permitted without RT-PCR tests or two doses of vaccine.
The elections department has estimated 6,213 rounds of counting across the state. Pallavaram (43), Chengalpet (43), Tambaram (41), Ambattur (39), Palladam (39), Tirupur North (38), Poonamallee (36), Hosur (36), Coimbatore (North), Kinathukadavu and Sholinganallur (35 each) top the list of assembly constituencies with maximum rounds of counting as they have large number of polling stations.
While the usual practice is to have 14 tables in a hall, the election commission has granted permission to have more tables for Sholinganallur, Alandur, Sriperumbudur, Kancheepuram and Uthiramerur (all 28 tables) and Kavundampalayam, Avadi, Maduravoyal and Karur (all 20 tables). Aravakurichi segment in Karur district gets only 10 tables in the counting hall.
Leaders are camping in their respective assembly constituencies and holding eleventh-hour discussions with their supporters. Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has been at his Salem residence since Tuesday.
He underwent an elective surgery in Chennai a week ago. Senior leaders including RS MP K P Munusamy, minister M R Vijayabhaskar and Salem south AIADMK candidate E Balasubramanian dropped in at his residence. Deputy CM O Panneerselvam has been at Bodinayakkanur for the last three days and is closeted with the cadres.