Voters began lining up to cast their vote from 7 am in Velachery Assembly constituency’s booth number 92 in Chennai, after the Election Commission announced a repoll. Fresh polling was announced for the booth after three Chennai Corporation officials were found transporting two Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and Voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines of the booth on a two-wheeler on Velachery-Taramani High Road.
The booth has 548 voters and the voting will end at 7 pm. The Election Commission has made arrangements to distribute hand sanitiser, masks and gloves to the voters. They have also arranged to ink the voters on their middle finger, since their index fingers were already inked during the voting held on April 6.
The Election Commission of India ordered a repoll in the booth following reports submitted by returning officers and observers about the incident on April 6. While the two EVM machines were unused, the VVPAT machine was used for 50 minutes and 15 votes were cast in the machine, said Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo.
Following this, Congress and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) candidates filed a complaint with the ECI and an inquiry was ordered. The ECI later suspended the three officials for violating norms and ordered a repoll. The EC permitted 13 candidates contesting from the constituency to hold a door-to-door campaign and appointed fresh polling officers. The corporation also distributed booth slips to the voters. Tasmac shops in the area were closed ahead of the voting.
The Assembly election in Tamil Nadu was held in a single-phase for 234 constituencies on April 6. The Tamil Nadu Assembly election 2021 saw five-corned polls with AIADMK-led front, DMK-led front, Makkal Needhi Maiam-led front, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam-led front and Naam Tamilar Katchi in the absence of two stalwarts of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi.