2,260 contesting in Tiruchy district for various posts

Tiruchy revenue district will face elections for the city Corporation, five municipalities and 14 town panchayats. As many as 718 candidates submitted their papers for 65 wards of the city corporation, while seven were rejected applications of 711 candidates were accepted. Similarly, as many as 664 nominations out of a total of 676 for the five municipalities were accepted. Meanwhile, as many as 890 candidates submitted their nominations for the 216 wards in 14 town panchayats in Tiruchy district out of which five papers were rejected. According to an official communication from the district administration, out of a total of 2284 nominations, 24 were rejected during the scrutiny process and 2260 candidates are in the fray. Tiruvannamalai recorded the highest number of nominations filed for the ensuing urban local body polls according to information received on Friday night.

While Tiruvannamalai district received a total of 1,592 nominations for its three municipalities and 10 town panchayats, Vellore received a total of 1,147 nominations for all 180 ward councillor vacancies in the Vellore Corporation, Gudiyattam and Pernambut municipalities and the four town panchayats of Pallikonda, Tiruvalam, Odugathur and Pennathur when nominations closed. Ranipet district received a total of 1,293 nominations for its six municipalities and town panchayats, while Tirupattur district received 1,042 nominations for the 175 ward councilors posts in the 4 municipalities (Ambur, Vaniyambadi, Tirupattur and Jolarpet) and 3 town panchayats in the district, officials revealed.

All necessary arrangments are being done at a steady pace in Tirunelveli as the district is gearing up for urban body polls. Collector and District Election Officer V Vishnu on Saturday said voters could exercise their democratic rights in a total of 933 booths being set up in various parts of the district. Councillors for 55 wards of Tirunelveli Corporation, 69 ward councilors for three municipalities and 273 ward councilors for 17 town panchayats would be elected on February 19. A total of 2,226 nominations were received from contestants till February 4, the last date for completing the process.

Meanwhile, the filing of nomination for the post of councilor from Ward 9 in Rameswaram municipality of Ramanathapuram district created a flutter. Two candidates from the ruling coalition led by DMK filed their nominations for the same post in the ward, sources said. Even earlier, while CR Senthilvel, state secretary, CITU (Meenava Thozhilalar Sangam, filed his nomination on behalf of CPI, an ally of DMK, another candidate Nazar Khan, DMK town secretary, Rameswaram, filed his nomination to contest from the same ward in the presence of DMK district secretary, Kadarbatcha Muthuramalingam.