Nominations begin for Assembly polls today

Nominations for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections will be received from March 30 to April 6, in accordance with the schedule notified by the Election Commission.

Nagapattinam District Election Officer and Collector P. Akash said the election notification would be published in the Gazette on March 30, following which Returning Officers would issue Form-1 notifications for each constituency the same day as mandated under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961.

Candidates can file their nominations on working days between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. However, nominations will not be accepted on March 31, April 1, 3, and April 5, which have been declared public holidays.

Scrutiny of nominations will be taken up on April 7 from 11 a.m. at the respective Returning Officers’ offices. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is April 9.

Polling for the Assembly elections will be held on April 23.

Mr. Akash said candidates and political parties must strictly adhere to the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the election rules. Copies of the election notification in Tamil and English will be displayed on the notice boards of the Returning Officers’ offices.

He urged all stakeholders to comply with the guidelines issued by the Election Commission.