CHENNAI: The principal opposition party in Tamil Nadu, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Saturday urged the state Election Commission to declare elections for the local bodies after complying fully with December 6 order of the Supreme Court.
The DMK told the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission that Supreme Court had directed it and the state government to follow Rule 6 of Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Reservation of Seats and Rotation of Reserved Seats) Rules 1995 while conducting the local body elections.
In a case filed by DMK, the apex court on Friday ordered polls for all districts barring nine newly-formed ones (Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Vellore, Thirupathur, Ranipet, Villupuram, Kallakuruchi, Tirunelveli and Tenkasi) owing to reasons like fresh delimitation, and reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
In its petition to the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission, the DMK contended that only after delimitation, identifying reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Women in the local bodies for the state as a whole, polls for local bodies cannot be held.
"The state as the whole has to be taken as one unit and reservation should be applied," DMK said.
According to DMK, if the State Election Commission or the state government misreads judgement and restricts it to the newly formed districts and fails to follow the directions of the Supreme Court in true letter and spirit, the same would amount to violation of court orders of and would be contemptuous.
The state Election Commisison had earlier announced polls for rural local bodies to be held on December 27 and 30.