Special focus on 146 low-polling booths in Erode District

District Election Officer and Collector S. Kandasamy has said that special focus is on increasing voter turnout in 146 polling booths that recorded low participation in the previous Assembly elections.

Addressing the media, he said these booths had registered only 40–45 per cent polling in the 2021 Assembly election. Steps are being taken to improve voter participation in these areas ahead of the upcoming polls, he added. The district has a total of 2,379 polling stations across eight Assembly constituencies. In the previous election, Erode had around 19 lakh voters, of whom 76 per cent cast their votes, exceeding the State’s average turnout. Following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, names of deceased persons, those who have permanently relocated, and duplicate entries have been removed. The current voter strength stands at 17.40 lakh, he said.

The Collector said officials have identified the low-performing booths and are conducting door-to-door awareness campaigns through election staff and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to encourage higher participation. “We are aiming for over 90 per cent voter turnout in these booths this time,” he said. Awareness programmes are also being conducted daily in schools, colleges, and other public places to boost voter awareness, he added.