Chennai, May 3 -- The Election Commission of India (ECI) has put in place a three-tier security arrangement along with a QR code-based entry system to ensure smooth and secure counting of votes for the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 scheduled on May 4, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Archana Patnaik said.

According to the Commission, a strict security perimeter extending 100 metres around each counting centre has been established as part of the outermost layer. Entry into this zone is strictly restricted to authorised personnel. Police personnel will be deployed at all entry points to verify identity credentials and carry out thorough frisking.

The second security layer covering the entry gates of the counting premises, which will be ...