Campaigning for the first phase of elections to local bodies, including municipal corporations, scheduled for Monday, came to an end on Saturday evening.
In the initial phase, the polls will be held for 60 municipalities, 259 town panchayats and 191 panchayat unions, apart from 10 municipal corporations.
The expanded Chennai Corporation, which will have 200 councillors hereafter, will also be covered in this phase.
[The second and final phase, slated for Wednesday, will include 65 municipalities, 270 town panchayats and 194 panchayat unions].
Campaigning reached a high pitch on the last day with leaders of major political parties seeking the support of the electorate for their parties.
Chief Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Jayalalithaa rounded off her campaign at Nungambakkam here after covering Vellore earlier in the day and many parts of Chennai.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam treasurer M.K. Stalin went to a number of places, including Saligramam, Anna Nagar, Chindatripet, Indira Nagar, Velachery, T. Nagar, Saidapet, and Thousand Lights, before concluding at Mylapore.
On Friday night, DMK president M. Karunanidhi addressed a public meeting at Thiruvanmiyur.
Leaders of other parties — Vijayakant of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, S. Ramadoss of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, G. Ramakrishnan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Vaiko of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam — also visited various areas in Chennai to seek votes for their candidates.
A release issued by the State Election Commission stated that orders had been issued to videograph polling or use web cameras in all polling booths in Chennai, treating 4,877 stations as sensitive.
In other parts of the State, 12,106 booths had been declared sensitive and video or, web cameras, wherever possible, would be used.
If Collectors/District Election Officers considered that there were other booths which had to be treated as sensitive, they had been advised by the SEC to monitor all activities there through videos or web cameras, the -release added.
