Tamil Nadu election: 19 foreign delegates visiting Chennai to observe polling procedures

CHENNAI: The Election Commission of India conducted the second phase of the International Election Visitors’ Programme for the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, with foreign delegates visiting Chennai to observe polling procedures and election management systems.The programme was inaugurated by chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management in New Delhi. According to the commission, 34 delegates from 17 countries, including representatives of foreign missions, participated in the initiative. As part of the programme, a group of 19 delegates from 17 countries travelled to Tamil Nadu. The visiting delegation includes representatives from Egypt, Maldives, Mauritius, Bhutan, Peru and Sri Lanka.Officials from the Election Commission and the Indian Information Service briefed the delegates on various aspects of the electoral process. At St George Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School in Shenoy Nagar, the visitors were given a demonstration of electronic voting machines and participated in a mock poll to understand the voting procedure.The delegates also visited polling stations and observed officials verifying voter identity and managing polling operations. They were scheduled to inspect dispatch and distribution centres, district control rooms and media monitoring centres as part of their visit.The programme aimed at familiarising international participants with India’s electoral practices and administrative framework during the ongoing elections.