Chennai, February 27 Describing the recently concluded voter roll revision in Tamil Nadu as a model for the country and a great success, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said on Friday that political parties in the state have suggested holding Assembly elections in a single phase, and a decision on this would be taken after considering all the factors.
The Election Commission's decision on "election phases" will be known once the election schedule is announced, he added, further stating that the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu would set a record in improving elections in Bihar.
Addressing a press conference here, the Chief Election Commissioner said: "The key takeaway from Bihar is that it has been the most flawless elections held in recent decades, and I have been assured by all the district magistrates, SPs, and the entire election machinery, including enforcement agencies, that Tamil Nadu will set records and will be better than Bihar."
Commenting on the recently concluded voter roll revision in Tamil Nadu, he praised it as a model for the country and a great success, noting that it ensured cleaner rolls. He said that it demonstrated the professionalism of Election Commission officials in ensuring clean rolls, in response to certain political parties' criticism that the exercise resulted in the mass deletion of voters' names.
He said that although 100 per cent voting is not mandatory according to law, Tamil Nadu's voting has been "highly encouraging and politically conscious."
The top election official assured amenities at 75,000 polling stations across the state. Regarding the vote counting exercise, he said that mandatory VVPAT counting would take place, and even after counting is over, any candidate, upon payment of a fee, can match the EVM with the VVPAT within the next 7 days. Among the new initiatives, one major was that postal ballots would be counted two rounds before the EVM rounds.
The CEC praised Tamil Nadu's "glorious past in democracy," and he mentioned that the state's ancient 'Kudavolai' system of elections was proudly discussed in a conference.