Chennai

A high-level delegation of the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, arrived in Chennai on Thursday by special flight from Puducherry to review preparedness for the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

The seven-member delegation includes Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, along with other senior officials.

During the visit, the Commission will hold consultations with the Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police (DGP), District Election Officers (DEOs), senior police officials, and representatives of recognised political parties in Chennai. The discussions will focus on overall election preparedness, enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, security arrangements, and the possibility of conducting polling in multiple phases.

The ECI team had earlier held meetings with senior officials in Puducherry to assess election arrangements there. Ahead of the Assembly elections in the Union Territory, the Commission directed officials to strictly enforce the rule of law without fear or favour, crack down on the flow of cash, liquor, drugs and freebies, and ensure coordinated action among enforcement agencies.

During a high-level review meeting in Puducherry, DEOs and Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) were instructed to act impartially, enhance voter comfort at polling stations, closely monitor social media to curb fake news, and publicly share details of Central Observers.

Various authorities, including police, transport, GST, excise and forest departments, were asked to maintain coordinated vigilance. The Airport Authority of India and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) were also directed to strictly adhere to established security protocols.

The review meetings were chaired by CEC Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi, in the presence of the Chief Electoral Officer of Puducherry and senior ECI officials. The Commission also interacted with recognised national and state political parties to assess poll preparedness and address electoral concerns.

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Representatives from national parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and the Indian National Congress (INC), attended the meeting.