The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) of all the 11constituencies in Salem district were shifted to the strong rooms at the four counting centres under tight security arrangements on late Monday evening.
The counting centres have been set up in Government College of Engineering, Karuppur (for the constituencies of Omalur, Yercaud, Veerapandi, Salem West, Salem North and Salem South); Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Attur (Gangavalli-reserved and Attur-reserved); Kavery Institute of Engineering and Technology, Mecheri (Mettur constituency); Vivekananda Educational Institutions, Veerachipalayam (Edappadi and Sankagiri constituencies).
The EVMs were sealed in the presence of D. Karthikeyan, District Collector and District Election Officer, Returning Officers of the respective constituencies in the late evening hours.
A three-tier police security cover has been provided for all the strong rooms. The representatives of the political parties too are monitoring the strong rooms in turn basis.
The Salem district registered 80.09 per cent polling on Monday.
Of the total 27,98,381 eligible voters, 22,41,216 voters – men 11,38,714 and women 11,02,460 – had cast their votes, along with 42 transgenders.
Veerapandi topped the list among the 11constituencies in the district with 86.13 per cent polling (total voters: 2,39,101; votes polled 2,05,932 – men 1,05,144, women 1,00,787 and others 1); Edappadi 85.77 per cent (total voters 2,61,137, votes polled: 2,23,981 – men 1,16,110, women 1,07,866 and others 5); Yercaud 84.74 per cent (total voters: 2,59,978, votes polled 2,20,308 – men 1,09,769, women 1,10,536, others 3); Omalur 84.86 (total voters: 2,65,584, votes polled 2,25,382 – men 1,18,321, women 1,07,059, others 2); Sankagiri 83.34 per cent (total voters: 2,56,757, votes polled: 2,13,971 – men: 1,10,293, women: 1,03,668, others 10); Gangavalli 80.36 (total voters: 2,18,787, votes polled 1,75,809 – men 85,645, women 90,164, others 0); Attur 78.92 (total voters: 2,34,035, votes polled 1,84,712 – men 90,272, women 94,439, others 1); Mettur 77.95 (total voters: 2,62,790, votes polled 2,04832 – men 1,06,153, women 98,676, others 3); Salem South 74.50 (total voters 2,63,172,votes polled 1,96,052 – men 98,281, women 97,764, others 7); Salem West 74.24 (total voters 2,71,115, votes polled 2,01,269 – men 1,03,484, women 97,781, others 4) and Salem North 71.06 per cent (total voters 2,65,929, votes polled 1,88,968 – men 95,242, women 93,720 and others 6).
