Polling for the urban local body elections has been progressing peacefully on Saturday, with voters turning up early to cast their votes in Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur and Tiruvannamalai districts that form the erstwhile North Arcot areas in northern Tamil Nadu. Around 10% of votes had been cast until 9. 30 a.m. on Saturday.
 
Officials were busy ensuring smooth polling at the 1,840 polling booths in these four districts where elections for 42 urban local bodies consisting of 16 municipalities, 25 town panchayats and one corporation (Vellore City Corporation) comprising 905 wards in these districts are being held.

A total of 16.29 lakh voters will decide the fate of 3,898 candidates contesting for 905 wards in Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet and Tirupattur districts.

“I came with my family, including my son, who is a first-time voter, to cast our votes. Like others, we followed Covid-19 norms like wearing facemasks and using hand sanitizer,” said K. Prakash, a voter from Vellore’s Old Town.
As part of Covid-19 SOPs, election officials including duty police personnel strictly adhered to norms, including doing thermal scanning, providing facemasks and hand gloves for voters before they went in to cast their votes. Physical distancing in the polling booths was also ensured, as voters were asked to wait on the earmarked circles before they exercised their right.

Defunct EVM replaced

 
At Venkateshwara school, one of the polling booths in Vellore’s Old Town, one of the four EVMs failed soon after the start of polling on Saturday. Immediately, elections officials replaced the defunct machine with the reserved one as a large number of voters were expected to arrive at the polling booth. 

Minister Duraumurugan casts vote

State Water Resources Minister, Duraimurugan cast his vote at a polling booth in Katpadi near Vellore on Saturday
| Photo Credit: VENKATACHALAPATHY C

Among prominent personalities in these districts who cast their votes early in the day include the State Water Resources Minister, Duraimurugan, and VIT Founder and Chairman, K. Vishwanathan.

Mr. Duraimurugan voted in a polling booth near his house in Katpadi whereas Mr. Vishwanathan voted at a polling booth in Kosapet in Vellore town.

District election officers and SPs in Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet and Tirupattur were on the rounds visiting vulnerable polling booths (404 booths).

A total of 4,969 police personnel including women constables were deployed to ensure peaceful polling. A total of 586 wheelchairs were arranged for voters with disabilities in these four districts. Persons with disabilities, senior citizens, pregnant women and feeding mothers were allowed to cast their votes without making them wait in the queue in the polling booths in these districts.