The Tamil Nadu government has restricted the sale of liquor, opening of bars and transporting of liquor into poll-bound areas in nine districts that are going for ordinary elections for rural local bodies on October 6 and 9. It has also placed the restrictions in 28 districts, where casual elections are scheduled on October 9.
The State government’s order followed a communication from the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission (TNSEC) in this regard. The sale or opening of bars or transporting of liquor into poll-bound areas or to areas within a 5-km radius would be prohibited from 10 am on October 4 to midnight of October 6, if polling for local bodies in the area is scheduled in the first phase on October 6.
In areas where the polling for local bodies is scheduled in the second phase on October 9, the sale or opening of bars or transporting of liquor into poll-bound areas or to areas within a 5-km radius would be prohibited from 10 am on October 7 to midnight of October 9.
On the day of the counting of votes scheduled on October 12 too, the sale or opening of bars or transporting of liquor into poll-bound areas or to areas within a 5-km radius will be restricted. The TNSEC also instructed police authorities to initiate legal action on those violating these orders.
Ordinary elections are scheduled in nine newly constituted districts -- Chengalpattu, Kallakurichi, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Tirupattur, Vellore and Villupuram in two phases -- on October 6 and 9. A total of 79,433 candidates are in the fray contesting for 23,998 posts in these nine districts.
As for casual elections scheduled in 28 districts on October 9, a total of 1,386 candidates are in the fray contesting for the remaining 418 posts.
