The Tamil Nadu Assembly election votes cast on April 23 will be counted on May 4 across 62 counting centers in the state. The counting process will start at 8:00 a.m. with the postal ballots, followed by the counting of votes from Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at 8:30 a.m.
Officials have arranged separate counting facilities for postal ballots and EVM votes at each center, with Assistant Returning Officers overseeing each segment. Postal ballots will be counted at a rate of one table for every 500 ballots.
To ensure a smooth process, around 2.88 lakh out of 3.60 lakh officials who were on election duty voted through postal ballots. Additionally, personnel from the police department, zonal and sector officers, and election monitoring teams also voted via postal ballots. In total, about 3.36 lakh election personnel voted through postal ballots, while 1.10 lakh officials voted in person after obtaining Election Duty Certificates.
Special provisions were made for elderly voters above 85 years and persons with disabilities, with 1.73 lakh such voters using the postal ballot facility under Form 12D.
Service voters, including armed forces personnel, also participated in the electoral process, with around 18,000 ballots received. Their postal ballots will be accepted until 8:00 a.m. on the counting day. In total, arrangements were made for an additional 6.37 lakh voters to cast their votes through special provisions, aiming for an inclusive electoral process.
