Tamil Nadu Polls: Seizures, Security, and Social Media Scrutiny

Tamil Nadu is intensifying preparations for the upcoming elections, set for April 23, as Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik announced significant confiscations worth Rs 1,262 crore in cash, gold, liquor, and drugs.

Patnaik detailed the state's electoral readiness, highlighting a total voter strength of 5.73 crore, including 14.59 lakh first-time voters. She also elaborated on the logistics with 75,064 polling stations bolstered by diverse support teams, such as stations solely managed by women and persons with disabilities.

Security measures are up with 300 Central Armed Police Forces and 83,875 local officers. Additionally, a stringent approach is taken against digital bribery with active social media surveillance, amidst new initiatives like mobile collection points at polling stations to combat phone misuse.

(With inputs from agencies.)