All major political parties in Tamil Nadu have suggested that the upcoming Assembly elections be conducted in a single phase, but the final decision on the number of phases will be taken by the Election Commission after assessing all relevant factors, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said on Friday.
“The suggestions of political parties have been noted. However, taking into account all factors, the Commission will decide how many phases the elections should be held in. This will be known once the elections are announced,” Kumar told reporters.
Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, conducted a detailed two-day review of election preparedness in Chennai.
Curb on money distribution
“The entire electoral machinery has been geared up to ensure that the menace of money distribution does not exist this time,” he said, expressing confidence that Tamil Nadu would record one of its highest-ever polling percentages in the forthcoming Assembly elections.
Dialogue
During the visit, the Commission interacted with representatives of recognised national and State parties, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Congress, BJP, CPI(M), VCK, DMDK, NTK, BSP, AAP and NPP, an official release said.
Praising the State’s poll preparedness, Kumar said Tamil Nadu was poised to set new benchmarks in election management. “Bihar witnessed one of the most flawless elections in the recent decade. Tamil Nadu is going to be even better and will set records,” he said.
Tamil Nadu has 234 Assembly constituencies — 188 general, 44 reserved for Scheduled Castes and two for Scheduled Tribes.
As of now, the State has 5.67 crore voters, including 2.89 crore women, 2.77 crore men and 7,617 transgender electors. There are nearly four lakh senior citizens above 80 years of age and 2,530 voters aged above 100. A large number of names of deceased persons, voters who had shifted residence and those enrolled in multiple constituencies have been removed, he added.
The State will go to polls with around 75,000 polling stations, of which 44,000 are in rural areas. “There will be 100 per cent webcasting in every polling station to ensure transparency,” Kumar said. The average number of voters per polling station will be 756 to ensure smooth and comfortable voting.
As part of inclusive initiatives, 258 polling stations will be managed entirely by women, 47 by persons with disabilities, and about 265 model polling stations will be set up across the State.
Focus on Youth
Highlighting youth participation, Kumar said the elections would see over 12.5 lakh voters in the 18–19 age group and nearly one crore voters aged between 20 and 29 years. To reach young voters, 3,060 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers have been deployed to conduct campaigns in colleges.
SIR
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, in Tamil Nadu carried out between October 27 and February 23, was conducted with the objective of ensuring that no eligible voter is excluded and no ineligible person is included, Kumar said.
On the SIR exercise, Kumar said only 216 appeals have been filed so far out of 5.67 crore electors, reflecting the professionalism with which the revision was conducted.
Published on February 27, 2026
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