‘NOTA’ for all polls as virus in full campaign

According to the State Election Commission submission in the Supreme Court, the local body polls for rural areas were conducted in December and postponed in nine other districts of Tamil Nadu citing delimitation exercise by six months. The local body poll notification was due by next month (May) as the six-month window period demanded by the SEC is ending for the newly-carved out Kallakurichi, Tenkasi, Tirupattur, Ranipet, Chengalpattu and their parent district of Villupuram, Tirunelveli, Vellore and Kancheepuram. Similarly, no polls have been conducted for the urban local bodies that comprise tier-one cities led by corporation and municipalities.

“Even if the lockdown is lifted on May 3, Tamil Nadu with a high number of COVID-19 cases will have quarantine cases and further treatment. Besides, the piled-up administrative works will continue for the next two months disrupting any election works in the State,” explained an official.

“For the State Election Commission that has submitted at least four affidavits in the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court for not conducting the polls, COVID-19 will be another valid reason to delay the polls further,” said an AIADMK advocate, who is part of the legal team that has filed a series of counter-petitions against the DMK. It may be noted that the State Election Commission is blamed by the Opposition for not holding local body posts since 2016. The State Election Commission officials were not available for comments.

When contacted, Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo on the two vacant Assembly seats, the CEO said that the Election Commission of India had suspended all its meetings and communication. “Only the outcome of the pandemic will determine the next course of action,” the top official told DT Next.

The TN Assembly Department had notified Gudiyatham and Thiruvottriyur as vacant after the demise of DMK legislators S Kathavarayan and KPP Samy. Tamil Nadu with 234 Assembly seats will step in to poll mood by the end of this year, as the general Assembly polls are due in May 2021.