The AIADMK on Monday opposed the proposed move of the State Election Commission to hold polling between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. during the proposed polls to rural local bodies in nine districts.
After attending an all-party meeting at the State Election Commission (SEC)’s headquarters here, D. Jayakumar, former Minister, told journalists that law and order problems might erupt if the duration of polling got extended beyond 6 p.m., even though it was understandable to have the polling held up to 6 p.m. in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. He claimed that there was consensus among all the parties including the DMK on the issue.
Mr. Jayakumar said the delimitation of constituencies earmarked for women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes should be carried out properly. At the counting centres, there should be a three-tier security with the installation of CCTVs. Only such measures would ensure “free and fair” election.
Asked about the reported move of the SEC to get the election postponed by six months, he recalled that when his party was in power, it was criticised for not facilitating the poll. Eventually, it had got the election held in 28 districts. “Why should the present government be reluctant to have the poll ?” Mr. Jayakumar questioned.
