CHENNAI: The AIADMK has moved the Madras High Court, seeking appointment of election officers from outside the jurisdiction of urban civic bodies, particularly from rural areas, to ensure fairness in the conduct of the urban local body elections.
Former MLA and AIADMK advocates wing leader RM Babu Murugavel has filed a petition in court in this regard. He said the chief secretary and the state election commissioner ignored a representation he submitted seeking appointment of election officers from outside the jurisdiction of urban civic bodies where polls will be held.
As the rural local body elections were completed in various phases, government officers, staff and personnel involved in the previous elections can be engaged in the upcoming urban local body polls. This will help the officers in the civic bodies which are going to polls, he said, adding that there would be no need for postal ballots, but votes can be case in a free manner.
Murugavel further noted that malpractices concerning postal votes are committed due to engagement of authorities from the same jurisdiction, and the Tamil Nadu state election commissioner did not make any specific announcement on the mode of deployment of polling personnel.
In previous elections, postal votes have proved to be a major issue as the officers chosen from the same jurisdiction act in a biased manner, he alleged. The petitioner prayed for an order to the respondents to deploy polling personnel for the elections on February 19 from outside the jurisdiction of the urban civic bodies.
‘To fight malpractices’
Murugavel noted that malpractices concerning postal votes are committed due to engagement of authorities from the same jurisdiction