Tamil Nadu BJP for single-phase polls to Urban local bodies

In a letter to the commissioner, state president of BJP's advocate wing R.C. Paul Kanagaraj, on Thursday said that conducting the polls in a single phase would lead to less influence for the ruling party.

 The Urban Local body elections scheduled for early January 2022 have been postponed to February on the ruling DMK's request in view of heavy rains and Covid-19 pandemic.

 Kanagaraj alleged that the state Election Commission played second fiddle to the ruling DMK in the recent rural local body elections and the BJP is expecting the same for the Urban local body elections and hence the letter.

 He has also demanded action against the contractors who had installed CCTV cameras during the rural local body elections that failed to capture the poll process. He also sought appointment of an election officer and an observer from either the Government of India or from a Central Public sector undertaking.

 The letter also asked 100 per cent webcasting of the election process in problematic booths. It also called upon the deployment of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for election duty.

 Kanagaraj demanded that the Election Commission ensures free and fair polls without any loopholes and prevents any undue influence of the ruling DMK in the poll process.