Chennai, Feb 4 : The by-election for the Erode East Assembly constituency is set to take place on Wednesday. The Election Commission has made extensive arrangements, setting up 237 polling stations across 53 locations to ensure smooth voting.

Ahead of the election, all polling stations have been equipped with essential facilities, including toilets, drinking water, waiting areas, and ramps for differently-abled voters.

To oversee the voting process, 24 zonal officers have been appointed and provided with GPS-enabled vehicles.

Security has been significantly tightened, with paramilitary personnel deployed to polling stations. Police have also conducted checks at hotels, wedding halls, and community centres in Erode to prevent any unauthorised stay by outsiders.

Additionally, final training sessions were conducted today for polling officials, who will be stationed at voting centres.

Meanwhile, officials have begun transferring 97 electronic voting machines (EVMs) from a secure storage facility to their respective polling stations.

A mock voting session will be held at 6:00 AM on Wednesday (February 5) to test the EVMs, following which official voting will commence at 7:00 AM and continue until 6:00 PM.

The constituency has a total of 2,27,576 registered voters, including, 1,10,128 men,1,17,381 women and 37 transgender individuals.

As part of the early voting process, 246 voters over the age of 85 and differently-abled individuals have already cast their ballots through postal votes.

The by-election has turned into a direct contest between the ruling DMK and Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) after AIADMK and BJP withdrew from the race.

DMK's candidate is former MLA V.C. Chandhirakumar, contesting after the party took over the Erode East seat from its ally, Congress.

NTK has fielded M.K. Seethalakshmi, the party's women's wing leader, under the leadership of actor-turned-politician Seeman.

The by-election was necessitated following the death of veteran Congress leader E.V.K.S Elangovan, who won the seat in the 2023 by-election after the untimely demise of his son, Thirumahan Everaa, due to a heart attack on January 4, 2023.

DMK is taking the election seriously, despite the absence of AIADMK and BJP candidates.

Urban Development and Housing Minister S. Muthusamy, DMK's Erode district secretary, led the campaign alongside local MP Prakash.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has instructed party leaders to ensure a landslide victory, while DMK's youth wing leader and Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin played a key role in mobilising support. Muthusamy expressed confidence that DMK would win by a margin of 1.2 lakh votes.

NTK, under Seeman's leadership, focused its campaign on criticising Dravidian ideologue 'Periyar' E.V. Ramasamy and attacking the DMK government's policies. However, tensions escalated when NTK members clashed with Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) cadres on Sunday.

Following the altercation, police filed over eight cases against Seeman, NTK candidate M.K. Seethalakshmi, and party members for campaign violations, staging a road blockade, and assaulting TPDK activists.

Voting will take place on February 5 from 7 AM to 6 PM, and EVMs will be transported under heavy police security to Siddha Government College, where the votes will be counted.

The vote counting is scheduled for February 8, with results to be announced the same day. A pre-election survey conducted by People Studies between January 28 and 31 among 1,470 respondents predicted a clear win for DMK as 59.5 per cent of respondents expressed support for DMK while 16.7 per cent backed NTK and 17.6 per cent said they would not vote.

The DMK government is using this election as an opportunity to reaffirm public support, particularly amid scrutiny over recent issues such as the Anna University sexual assault case and concerns over law and order in Tamil Nadu.

With polling just hours away, the stage is set for a crucial by-election that could reinforce DMK's political dominance in the state.

/IANS