The first-level checking of EVMs to be used in the Ambasamudram by-election, which has been necessitated by the resignation of AIADMK MLA Esakki Subaya, started on Thursday.

In the presence of District Collector and District Election Officer Anand Mohan and the representatives of recognised political parties, technicians from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bengaluru started checking and calibrating the EVMs to be used in the by-election.

After inaugurating the first-level checking of EVMs, Mr. Anand Mohan said Ambasamudram would have 321 polling booths for the upcoming by-election and hence each 642 ballot units, control units and VVPATs had been selected for the by-poll. These EVMs were not used in the last Assembly election.

The hand-picked EVMs would be checked and calibrated by a team of 6 BEL technicians till June 23, Mr. Anand Mohan said.

All the EVMs used in the last Assembly election held on April 23 last and other unused EVMs have been kept separately in the godown on the Tirunelveli Taluk Office premises. Since the votes polled in each Assembly segment in the previous election had to be preserved for a mandatory period of 45 days from the date of declaration of results, the unused machines had been stored separately.

Hence, 642 unused machines are being checked and calibrated now.

Ambasamudram Assembly segment, housing large number of villages mostly with poor, lower and middle class families recorded the district’s highest polling percentage of 83.77 in the last Assembly election, held on April 23, which was 11.25% increase over the previous 2021 Assembly poll.

In this election, Mr. Esakki Subaya, a two-time MLA, defeated Congress candidate V.P. Durai by a margin of 10,245 votes to get elected from Ambasamudram for the third time. While he polled 65,589 votes (34.30% votes), the runners-up got 55,344 votes (28.95%).

The TVK candidate for this segment S. Rajagopal garnered 53,611 votes (28.04%) to come third in the electoral battle and Naam Thamizhar Katchi candidate V. Sivasankaran got 14,906 votes (7.80%).

After being elected to the Tamil Nadu Assembly from the Ambasamudram segment as AIADMK candidate in the April 23 election, Mr. Esakki Subaya resigned his post on May 26 to join the C. Joseph Vijay-led Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam. He may be fielded as TVK candidate in the by-poll.