AIADMK fares well in poll plan, say experts

When it comes to poll strategies, the ruling AIADMK has been outsmarting rival DMK successively. Be it bypolls or civic polls, the AIADMK has been going ahead with its poll strategies, admit political commentators and bureaucrats.

“Going by voter’s base, the first phase of polls will just cover 25 per cent of the overall state electorate filling more than 60 per cent vacancies in local bodies. By avoiding mayor, municipal chairmen elections and the local bodies in 9 new districts, the poll is now restricted to just 25 per cent of the total voters in TN,” said a senior government official who has served as a district election officer hinting that such precedence will become handy for any political party to influence the State Election Commission in future.

TNSEC is a quasi-judicial body empowered to enforce the Panchayat Raj system, but since 2006, the Commission has earned a bad reputation and has been periodically pulled up by the Madras High Court on several contempt petitions, the official noted.

“As per the poll notification of State Election Commission, Tamil Nadu will witness polling on December 27 and 30 to elect more than one lakh local body representatives in rural areas. This gives a picture that most of the posts are to be filled by next month, but the move is a political strategy giving advantage to the ruling AIADMK,” explains political commentator R Mani.

The panchayats have a small number of votes when compared to towns and cities. Further, there are media reports making rounds that the public are auctioning the posts of panchayat board president and vice presidents. The collectorates in Tiruchy and Cuddalore had received complaints and this exposes the poor administrative system of holding elections, Mani noted.

Echoing similar views, Ramu Manivannan, professor and head, department of political science, Madras University blamed the state for creating hurdles that would delay the civic polls. “There is an immediate need for local body council and the state fails to realise the importance of the civic bodies. Even now the state has time to complete the delimitation exercise and hold polls across the state, but there seems to be a lack of political will in holding elections,” Manivannan said.

The letter by former chief secretary noting that the elections were not feasible due to cyclone alert in 2018 was political umbrage for the Commission, a retired IAS official noted. Even the Election Commission of India has not suspended the polls foreseeing natural calamities as a reason, the senior official said adding that the model code of conduct only for rural areas has already started confusing the field officials executing Pongal freebie schemes and road repair works, he added.

Earlier in the day, Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar launched fresh salvos against the DMK president MK Stalin. “Stalin is the root cause for delay in local body polls. The DMK is on litigation spree aimed to delay the civic polls,” the AIADMK Minister told reporters on Tuesday.

On day two, the TNSEC received 1,784 nominations taking the total number of nominations to 5,001. Till now 4,290 aspirants have submitted papers seeking elections for panchayat ward members, a communique from TNSEC said.

The TNSEC also noted that the Commission is analysing media reports stating that the local body posts were up for public auction. “TNSEC has directed the District Collectors to take necessary action and the Commission will take efforts to uphold the democratic system of elections,” it said.