Chennai: Electronic voting machines can cater to a maximum of 64 candidates and if RK Nagar after the final date of withdrawal had more candidates, then the conventional method of voting through ballot paper will be taken up, the district election officer and corporation commissioner D. Karthikeyan said on Saturday.
The DEO, who kick-started a training programme for the RK Nagar polling officials said that there is provision for 16 candidates in a balloting unit and by linking the control unit, a fourth balloting unit can be attached to cater to a maximum of 64 candidates. But this is a speculative scenario we have to wait and watch for Monday's final list of candidates, he said.
The commissioner also took stock of the poll arrangements in place for the RK Nagar. Earlier in the day independent candidates and aspirants of lesser-known parties also lodged complaints against returning officer and DRO elections on Saturday. In their complaint letter to the district election officer, the independents alleged that their nominations were rejected for frivolous reasons violating election norms.
"As per election commission handbook guidelines, it is clearly mentioned that if anything missed in the preliminary scrutiny, the RO will arrange for scrutiny hour meeting and he will give the Missed data in the Nomination form. And if during the final scrutiny, it was not cleared, it can be rejected. The Election Commission guidelines were violated in my case", alleged J. Jayanthi, an independent candidate whose nomination was rejected.
