Tamil Nadu: Officials carry EVMs to Alakkattu village, this time not on donkeys

Dharmapuri (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 18 : After 75 years of independence, poll officials transported electronic voting machines to Alakkattu village of Tamil Nadu by a tractor and not on donkeys as they had done earlier.

There are 163 male voters in Kotturmalai village and 151 female voters in hilly villages like Erimalai, Kotturmalai and Alakattu under Vattuvanahalli Panchayat of Dharmapuri Parliamentary constituency and Pennagaram Assembly Constituency.
In Erimalai Alakattu village, there are 182 male voters 141 female voters and 323 voters in both Kotturmalai and Erimalai villages, a total of 637 voters.
Due to the lack of road facilities for the last 75 years, poll officials used to carry the voting machines on donkeys up to a distance of 5 km via mountain roads.
While the people of the area have been struggling for a long time for road facilities, last year sand road was constructed so that tractors could reach these villages.
Subsequently, in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, the officials took the polling machines and equipment to the two polling centres of Kotturmalai and Erimalai villages for the first time, not on donkeys this time.
Voting for all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will be held in the first phase of the general elections on April 19.
In the 2019 general elections, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, comprising the Congress, VCK, MDMK, CPI, CPI(M), IUML, MMK, KMDK, TVK, and AIFB, registered a landslide victory, winning 38 of the 39 seats in the state.
The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country will be held in seven phases starting April 19. The counting of the votes will take place on June 4.