No ST certificate, no problem, says Collector

However, District Collector KS Kandasamy allayed their doubts recently and said, absence of a community certificate is no hindrance for a person to participate in the polls.

A total of 7,442 posts comprising 34 wards in the district panchayat, 341 wards in 18 panchayat unions and 860 village panchayats in addition to the post of 6,207 village panchayat presidents being up for grabs in the local body elections, members of the ST community were afraid that they would be unable to compete in the polls as the prospective candidates lack community certificates.

Their fears were based on the fact that only one Panchayat Union, Thandarampattu, in Tiruvannamalai district has been allotted to the ST community. “Chances for ST members to participate in a PU allotted to the category is always less and when this does happen, absence of community certificates puts our participation in a jeopardy,” a community leader revealed to DT Next.

They also wondered why Thandarampattu Panchayat Union was allotted to the ST community as their numbers were limited there, whereas the Jawadhu hills Panchayat Union currently allotted to women (general) has a sizeable population of ST communities, including malai kuruavas, lambadis and kurumbans.

Similarly, Tiruvannamalai and Kilpennathur panchayat unions have been allotted to the reserved (general) category while Polur and Chengam panchayat unions come under the women (general) category and Thurinjapuram Panchayat Union under the reserved (women) category.

Clarifying on the members’ confusion, Collector Kandasamy said, “ST community members wishing to compete in the local body polls can apply for their community certificate if they lack it. However, absence of a community certificate is no hindrance for a person to participate in the polls as participation is based on the affidavit which the candidates hands over to the returning officer when filing nominations.”

Elaborating on the subject, he added, “This affidavit is accepted unless somebody objects to it in writing based on which an enquiry will be held to get at the truth. Ignorance of election rules is what hampers ST members from participating as they do not go through it fully.”