In Tamil Nadu, Covid-19 patients, those in isolation can vote from 6pm to 7pm

Polling staff has been instructed to wear face shields, masks, and hand gloves and additionally don PPE kits during the exclusive hour of voting for Covid-19 patients

Polling time will be extended by one hour across all four states and one Union Territory of Puducherry today to allow Covid-19 patients to vote. In Tamil Nadu, those under treatment or even in isolation as suspected Covid-19 cases, can go to the polling booths wearing PPEs, exclusively between 6pm and 7pm to cast their vote. Polling staff has been instructed to wear face shields, masks, and hand gloves and additionally don PPE kits during the exclusive hour of voting for Covid-19 patients.

In Tamil Nadu, Covid 19 patients and those in isolation has been given an extra hour to vote after the general public. (ANI Photo)

“The body temperature of all voters will be taken and those with fever will be asked to come between 6 and 7pm and vote wearing PPEs,” health secretary J Radhakrishnan said at a press conference.

Over 6.2 crore people are eligible to vote across 88,937 polling stations in Tamil Nadu to elect a new government. Women make up 31,939,112 voters, outnumbering men who number 30,923,651, while 7,192 belong to the third gender. Specific arrangements have been made for Covid-19 positive voters and the differently-abled. A total of 4,17,521 polling personnel are involved in the election process

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has identified 537 critical polling stations and 10,813 vulnerable polling stations, said chief electoral officer (CEO) Satyabrata Sahoo. “Earlier we had only 67,000 polling stations. Now we have close to 90,000 so we urge people to clear their doubts by dialing 1950, prefixed with district STD code,” said Sahoo.

As per ECI’s directive, webcasting of polling has been arranged in 46,203 polling stations and 8,014 micro-observers have been appointed by the ECI to supervise and observe the polling across the state.

Elaborate security measures have been made with the deployment of 1,58,263 police and non-police officers.

In Puducherry, a total of 1,004,507 electors will exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 324 candidates across 30 constituencies. Counting for Puducherry and Tamil Nadu elections will take place on May 2.