Chennai, May 3 (AHN) All arrangements, including an elaborate three-tier security mechanism, have been put in place for the counting of votes for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections scheduled on May 4, Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said on Sunday.

Counting will begin at 8 a.m. with postal ballots, followed by Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) votes from 8.30 a.m. across 62 designated counting centres in the state.

Polling for the 234 Assembly constituencies was held on April 23 in an intense electoral contest, with the ruling DMK striving to retain power, while the AIADMK is aiming for a comeback after five years in the opposition. The electoral landscape has been further complicated by the debut of actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), along with the presence of Seeman-led Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK).

A massive deployment of nearly 1.25 lakh personnel, including counting staff, micro-observers and security forces, has been made to ensure a smooth and transparent process.

Of these, about one lakh police personnel will be engaged in maintaining law and order, according to police sources.

To facilitate counting, authorities have set up 234 counting halls for EVM votes and an additional 240 halls for postal ballots and Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballots (ETPBs).

A total of 3,324 counting tables will be used.

The exercise will be overseen by Returning Officers (ROs) assisted by Assistant Returning Officers (AROs), with 10,545 personnel deployed for counting duties and 4,624 micro-observers ensuring adherence to norms.

The Election Commission has also appointed 234 counting observers -- one for each constituency -- to monitor proceedings and enforce compliance. Additionally, 1,135 AROs have been deployed specifically for postal ballot counting, with one table allotted for every 500 ballots.

Security has been tightened with a three-layer system.

The outer 100-metre perimeter will be secured by local police, the entry gates by State Armed Police, and the innermost areas -- including counting halls and EVM strong rooms -- by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). In total, 65 CAPF companies have been stationed at counting centres.

In a first, a QR code-based photo identity system has been introduced through ECINET to regulate access. Entry into counting centres will be permitted only after QR code verification, ensuring that only authorised personnel, including officials, candidates and agents, gain access. Round-wise results will be announced by Returning Officers at each centre and simultaneously updated on the ECINET app and the Election Commission’s official results portal.