Polling under way at Mamandur village in Madurantakam constituency, on Tuesday
| Photo Credit: B. Velankanni Raj
Bypolls are under way in two constituencies in Tamil Nadu – Madurantakam in Chengalpattu district and Dharapuram in Tiruppur district – which, as of 11 a.m., saw voter turnouts of 35.55% and 37.28%, respectively. The exercise has been uneventful so far, barring a stray incident in which polling was halted in a booth in Dharapuram after a voter complained she was allegedly “prompted” by polling staff to vote for the ruling TVK.
Follow live updates on the bypolls here.
EVM glitches
After a sluggish start, voting picked up pace in parts of the Madurantakam constituency. In booths 20 and 21 in Mamandur, about 290 voters had cast their votes as of 10.30 a.m.
Technical glitches in EVMs were reported at two polling stations in Madurantakam. In booth 26 in Sithandi, the control unit had to be replaced twice. In booth 55, in L. Endathur, the ballot unit had to be changed after poll agents objected to a mark visible on the name of one of the candidates.
Chengalpattu Collector M. Veerappan said voting has been peaceful so far. As a preventive measure, a Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) unit has been stationed at each of the 58 polling stations identified as vulnerable, he said.
Dr. Veerappan said that micro observers, who directly report to the observer, have been stationed at all polling stations. In addition, CCTV cameras have been installed inside as well as outside every polling station, and the proceedings are being livestreamed to the control room.
Polling halted in booth in Dharapuram
Voting was halted at Kolinjivadi booth (137) in Dharapuram town for about half an hour on Tuesday morning after a voter, Jaithun Beevi, 75, reportedly claimed that she was prompted by a polling official to choose the TVK’s ‘Whistle’ symbol.
Police personnel outside Kolinjivadi booth in the Dharapuram constituency where a commotion erupted over an allegation by a voter that she was “prompted” by a polling staffer to vote for the TVK candidate
| Photo Credit:
S. Siva Saravanan
DMK agents protested, demanding action against the polling official. They relented after officials, accompanied by teams of police personnel and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, arrived at the scene of the commotion and promised follow-up action.
The presiding officer of the booth, Rajeshwari, denied any such prompting. “We only help out those seeking assistance. No staff member went to the EVM counter,” the official said.
Published – October 06, 2026 12:18 pm IST
