The number of fresh COVID-19 cases continued to rise in Chennai as the district reported 395 new cases on Wednesday. In this backdrop, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Satyabrata Sahoo held discussions with the officials who successfully conducted Bihar elections in November 2020, to deliberate on conducting Tamil Nadu elections amid the pandemic. Tamil Nadu is scheduled to face Assembly elections on April 6. The Election Commission of India (ECI) also deputed two officials to supervise and guide the state to conduct elections in a safe manner.
According to a report, Sudhir Kumar and Rohini, who are officers in the government of Bihar, will oversee the election arrangements in Tamil Nadu. The two officers have been posted to the state since they are experienced in conducting Bihar elections when the state was reporting over 10,000 daily cases of COVID-19. Satyabrata Sahoo, on Wednesday, conducted meetings with Bihar election officers to discuss pointers to ensure that Tamil Nadu elections do not result in an increase in COVID-19 cases.
Tamil Nadu reported 945 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday with eight deaths. Of the 945 new cases, Chennai accounted for 395 cases, followed by 107 in Coimbatore district. On Wednesday, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary expressed concern that the COVID-19 infection is rising in the state and that people must not take precautions lightly. He also urged political leaders to ensure that their followers and cadres who attend rallies and meetings adhere to the mask discipline to avoid the spread of the virus.
Apart from Chennai and Coimbatore, Chengalpattu district reported 103 new cases of COVID-19, and Thiruvallur reported 56 new cases. Five hundred and seventy six patients were discharged on Wednesday on recovery, and the number of persons currently being treated for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu is 5,811.