Civic polls: DMK accuses AIADMK of "creating confusions"

A day after moving the Supreme Court over conduct of local body polls in Tamil Nadu, DMK chief M K Stalin on Friday accused the ruling AIADMK regime of "creating confusions" on matters connected to the civic elections.

Stalin, the leader of opposition in the Assembly, said Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his cabinet colleagues were levelling false charges that the DMK was thwarting holding civic polls by pursuing legal options.

The DMK has moved the Supreme Court, seeking a direction to Tamil Nadu authorities to complete processes, including delimitation ahead of notifying the civic polls.

Listing out "confusions," he told reporters here that the AIADMK government has not allegedly completed delimitation of wards in civic bodies as per a Madras High Court directive.

Besides, the delimitation exercise has not been done in five new districts, he alleged.

Chengelpet, Kallakurichi, Tenkasi, Ranipet and Tirupattur are the newly carved out districts.

Stalin accused the authorities of not making appropriate reservations for Scheduled Castes, Tribes and women in town panchayats, municipalities and corporations.

"This is the present status," he said.

The government, Stalin said, has also changed elections to the posts of civc heads like mayors and chairpersons from that of "direct to indirect," mode

The heads are elected by councillors in the indirect mode while "direct" involves people electing them.

"...so several such confusions have been made and by doing it the government is under the impression that the polls could be deferred if someone goes to the court, it may grant a stay on conduct of civic polls," he claimed.

The DMK chief said he believed that the notification for polls will be made complying with all norms.

"I reiterate that the DMK is vigilant to see that the civic polls are held properly."

The civic polls were originally slated to be held in 2016 October and the matter later went to court.