Elections to Tamil Nadu urban local bodies likely by December
CHENNAI: After a gap of 10 years, elections to the urban local bodies are likely to be held by the year-end. The Municipal Administration Department is gearing up for this mega exercise.
Revealing this, Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru on Saturday said his department has expedited works for conducting elections to urban local bodies as per the directions given by Chief Minister MK Stalin. He said there were complaints regarding reservations for women in certain places and these would be sorted out soon.
The Minister was speaking after a departmental meeting here. However, Nehru said the Chief Minister would make an announcement about the elections in the ensuing Assembly session.
After the term of the last Urban Local Bodies came to an end in 2016, fresh elections could not be held for various reasons. The DMK challenged the delimitation and reservation in local bodies and after the Supreme Court gave its verdict, the State Election Commission notified the elections to rural local bodies in two phases in December 2019. The SEC said the notification for urban local bodies would be issued later.
However, due to Covid related developments and other reasons, the elections to urban local bodies could not be held to date. Now, the elections to the rural local bodies in the nine new districts formed last year would be held by September 15 as per the direction of the Supreme Court.
During the ensuing budget session of the State Assembly, the DMK government is expected to make many popular announcements fulfilling its key electoral promises, and with that strength and the goodwill earned through Covid-related measures, the DMK is likely to face the elections to urban local bodies too.
In the 2011 elections to the local bodies, the AIADMK almost swept the elections without any big alliance partner. But this time, the AIADMK, keeping in mind the local body elections, already announced that the alliance formed for Assembly elections would continue.
The DMK too, leaving no stone unturned to register a big win, trying its best to strengthen its alliance. Last week, DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin called on DMDK president Vijayakant. Also, many senior functionaries of the AIADMK, as well as AMMK led by TTV Dhinakaran and the MNM led by actor Kamal Hassan, have been joining the DMK.