The Election Commission on Monday announced that elections to the 234-member Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly will be held in a single phase on April 23, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar made the announcement in New Delhi while unveiling the poll schedule for five states and one Union Territory going to the polls this year. With the announcement of the election dates, the Model Code of Conduct has come into immediate effect in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

According to the Election Commission, nominations for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections will begin on March 30 and continue until April 6. The scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on April 7, while April 9 has been fixed as the last date for withdrawal of nominations.

Polling for all the 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu will be conducted in a single phase on April 23. The votes will be counted on May 4 and the results will be declared the same day.

The tenure of the current Tamil Nadu Assembly is scheduled to end on May 10, making the timely completion of the election process crucial for the formation of the next government in the state.

Election officials said Tamil Nadu currently has around 5.67 crore registered voters. To facilitate the polling process, 75,032 polling stations will be set up across the state. On the day of polling, the Election Commission will release voter turnout figures every two hours to ensure transparency and public awareness.

Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will carry colour photographs of candidates to help voters easily identify them while casting their ballots.

Polling in the neighbouring Union Territory of Puducherry will be held earlier, on April 9.

Meanwhile, political parties in Tamil Nadu have stepped up preparations ahead of the elections. The ruling DMK-led alliance has already allocated seats to some of its partners, while negotiations with other alliance parties are still underway.

The AIADMK-BJP alliance has also begun discussions with its partners, including PMK, AMMK and Tamil Maanila Congress, over seat-sharing arrangements.

Actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam has also started preparing for its first major electoral contest in the state. At the same time, Seeman-led Naam Tamilar Katchi has announced candidates for all 234 constituencies and begun its campaign across Tamil Nadu.

With multiple alliances and emerging political players entering the fray, the upcoming Assembly election is expected to witness an intense and closely watched contest in Tamil Nadu.