Special Correspondent
A total of 1,503 police personnel out of a little over 2,000 who were eligible for casting postal ballots exercised their votes here on Wednesday.
According to Returning Officer and District Election Officer T G Vinay, elaborate arrangements were made by the staff at the Seelapadi AR police grounds and other locations for the personnel to cast their votes.
In Dindigul Lok Sabha constituency, out of 1887, 1471 cast votes and in Vedasandur Assembly segment of Karur parliamentary constituency, 132 police personnel cast their votes out of 179.
As the police personnel would move to different locations ahead of the polling to be held on April 18, the Election Commission of India had instructed the conduct of polling for the poll staff.
A few police personnel could not exercise their franchise on Wednesday as they were involveld in an emergency law and order duty.
In Dindigul district, elections would be held for the Dindigul Lok Sabha and Nilakottai Assembly byelection.
While the officials maintained the polling went off smoothly, some police claimed that there was a delay of about two hours as the ballot box had to be sealed only in the presence of polling agents of the political parties, who came late to the polling station. However, the Collector denied it.
The exercise was completed by 2 p.m., officials said and added that things went off smoothly.
In Virudhunagar, polling of postal ballots by police personnel drafted for election works on April 18 continued for the second day on Wednesday.
While already 636 votes had been polled on Tuesday, a total of 243 postal votes for Tenkasi Lok Sabha election and 245 votes for Virudhunagar Lok Sabha election and 47 votes for Sattur Assembly by-election were cast.
The process of casting polling votes was videographed by maintaining the secrecy of voting, said Virudhungar District Election Officer, A. Sivagnanam.
