Chennai: Citing exam season and Tamil New Year
festivities, BJP and CPI (M) units in the state today demanded
that the Election Commission revise the polling date for the
state Assembly elections, scheduled for April 13.
Both parties said electioneering will be at its peak
during the exam season, causing hardship to students.
BJP also said that the poll date would "affect" Tamil New
Year festivities.
"Though the government had revised Tamil New Year from the
Tamil month of Chithirai (April) to Thai (in January), a large
section of people still celebrate it on April 14 and prepare
for the festivities days ahead of it," BJP state president
Pon Radhakrishnan said in a statement here.
The April 13 polling date would "affect" the festivities
and its preparations, he said and demanded that elections be
held in May.
He said a gap of one-month between polling and counting
(May 13), during which electronic voting machines will be
guarded in designated locations, will create "opportunities
for mistakes," suggesting a possible tampering of EVMs.
CPI(M) state unit secretary G Ramakrishnan said around
nine lakh students appearing for Class XII exams, scheduled
from March 28-April 11, in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will be
affected due to campaigning.
"Further, teachers and government employees will also have
to be employed for election duty. Therefore, the EC should
revise the polling date keeping in mind the welfare of the
students," he said in a statement.
He charged the Election Commission with not taking into
account factors such as festivals and examinations before
finalising the polling date.
Assembly elections for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will be
held on April 13 and the counting of votes will be taken up on
May 13.
PTI
