TN Local body polls: SEC calls for all party meet tomorrow

Ahead of the much-awaited local body polls in Tamil Nadu, the State Election Commission (SEC) has called for an all-party meeting tomorrow.

The meeting, in which representatives of all political parties will attend, will be chaired by State Election Commissioner R Palaniswamy.

Sources said the SEC would elicit views from the political parties on holding the civic polls, apart from discussing various issues connected with the holding of the elections.

Indicating that the state was ready for holding the long pending civic polls, the SEC had on November 18 informed the Supreme Court that notification for holding the local body elections will be issued on December two, following which the SEC held review meetings with various District Collectors.

Meanwhile, a petition was filed in the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court against the State government's move to hold indirect election for the Mayors of Corporations and chairpersons of Municipalities.

The Court has told advocate Neelamagam, who made a mention, that it would take up the matter if it was filed in the form of a petition.

A Public Interest Litigation was also moved in the Madras High Court seeking to restrain the SEC from announcing the civic body elections without reserving posts like Deputy Mayors, which were filled through indirect elections, for members of SC/ST communities and SC/ST women in proportionate to their population.

The Tamilnadu government had on November 20 promulgated an Ordinance for holding indirect elections to the posts of Mayors of Municipal corporations and Chairpersons of municipalities, saying it would lead to stability.

The civic polls would be held to elect over 4,400 Councillors in urban local bodies, including Corporation and Municipalities, and about 8,200 town panchayat ward members.

As regards rural civic bodies, there are posts including that of village panchayat presidents (12,524) and ward members (99,324).

The civic polls were originally slated to be held in October 2016, but had been delayed following litigations in the Madras High Court and later in the Supreme Court over aspects including reservation of seats.

When the SEC announced local body polls schedule in 2016, the Opposition DMK had approached the Madras High Court, which had stayed the notification as there were some issues in the reservation for the SC/ST candidates.

Since then, the local body polls were not conducted in the state due to prolonged litigations.