Chennai, Dec 17 (IANS) Campaigning for by-elections for two assembly seats in Tamil Nadu ended Thursday, an official said. The polls are scheduled to be held Saturday.
Political parties and candidates wound up their campaign in Vandavasi and Tiruchendur assembly constituencies at 5 p.m.

The by-elections will see three-cornered contests with the DMK, the AIADMK and the DMDK fighting for the spoils.

A total of 39 contestants are in the fray — 14 in Vandavasi and 25 in Tiruchendur.

For the first time in the country’s polling history, the Election Commission has decided to match the images of voters captured by the web camera installed in the polling booths with those stored in its central servers to eliminate bogus voting.

As during the August by-elections for five constituencies, the commission will record the polling process live through the web cameras and monitor it from control room here.

While Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was the star campaigner for the DMK, Leader of the Opposition and AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa and actor-politician Vijayakant were the star attractions for their respective parties.

The two Left parties - the Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Communist Party of India which contested in the August by-polls - have this time announced their support to AIADMK candidates while PMK asked its cadres not to vote.

Though charges of bribing the voters with cash, liquor, dhotis, saris and even mobile phone recharge coupons flew thick and fast, Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta said it is difficult to pursue the allegations.

Gupta said 11 companies of paramilitary forces - five from the Central Reserve Police Force and six from the Karnataka State Reserve Police - will be deployed for poll security duty.