Chennai
According to confidential AIADMK sources, the state municipal administration department is exploring the options to bring in an ordinance under which the direct election of heads of civic bodies such as mayors is to be reverted to the system of indirect elections practiced during the days of late AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa. As per the new change under proposal, the public will elect the councillors and they would elect the mayors and municipal chairmen.
Last year, Municipal Administration and Rural Development Minister SP Velumani moved the Tamil Nadu Municipal Laws (Third Amendment) Act, 2018, seeking to revert to direct election of corporation mayors, municipal chairmen. In 2016, the state Cabinet led by the then chief minister Jayalalithaa adopted a bill to pave way for indirect civic elections to the heads of municipal bodies.
“There are 15 municipal corporations that must be headed by mayors and more than 100 municipalities led by chairmen. These posts are crucial and covers a large area for campaign. Under these conditions, the expenditure will be very high for the political parties,” said a former AIADMK MP.
Further the alliance partners can be kept under check if the indirect elections are held. Directly elected mayors cannot be politically controlled further, the poll expenditure for mayors and chairman candidates can now be diverted to ensure the victory of maximum number of councillors. The party will convene a meeting on Sunday and discussions on the civic polls will be held, the AIADMK senior said.
Earlier, when the AIADMK government moved a bill in 2016 seeking to make indirect election of mayors, the opposition DMK and its allies—Congress opposed it. Since then, the government has been running the civic bodies by appointing special officers for civic bodies.
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