Chennai: Tamil Nadu State Election Commissioner V Palanikumar on Wednesday announced the poll schedule for the urban local body polls in Tamil Nadu.
Here are the latest updates from the poll body: The polling for all local bodies will be on February 19 and the counting of votes will be on February 22. Nominations will start on January 28 and the last day for withdrawal of nomination will be February 4. Indirect polls for Mayors will be on March 4. The Tamil Nadu State Election Commission (TNSEC) had announced Model Code of Conduct with immediate effect for 21 municipal corporations, 138 municipalities and 489 town panchayats. TNSEC in September 2016 announced the notification for poll schedule for local bodies, but the polls were held four years later only for rural local bodies.
Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Vellore, Tiruchy, Salem and other cities in Tamil Nadu will soon have elected Mayors after a span of six years. For four years (2017 -2022) the High Court and the Supreme Court engaged the petitions filed by the DMK and the AIADMK regarding civic polls.
The AIADMK government in 2018 said that there was a red alert for Tamil Nadu due to cyclone Gaja and delayed the civic polls. Earlier delimitation and reservation exercises were attributed for the delay in polls. Since 2020, pandemic also added to the list, even as Lok Sabha and State Assembly polls were held as per schedule. Earlier this week a majority of 11 recognized political parties in Tamil Nadu favored single-phase polling for the urban local bodies elections.
Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Director of Municipal Administration P. Ponniah, Commissioner of Town Panchayats R. Selvaraj have already passed orders to local bodies to keep the voters roll and polling booths ready. The 21 municipal corporations consist 1,064 wards, 138 municipalities consist 3,468 and 8,288 wards in 489 town panchayats.
