Wait ends as city, urban LBs to go to polls on Feb 19

Ending the suspense that lasted more than half a decade, the Greater Chennai Corporation and other Municipal Corporations in the State will go to polls on February 19, after the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission on Wednesday announced the schedule for the urban local body polls. By March first week, Municipal Corporations, including Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Vellore, Tiruchy, Salem and others, will have elected Mayors after six years.

As per the schedule released by Commissioner V Palanikumar, counting of votes will be on February 22. Nominations for the single phase polls can be submitted from January 28 and the last day to withdraw it will be February 4. The papers will be scrutinised the next day. Indirect polls for Mayors is on March 4.

Also Read: Urban local body polls: Election dates, nominations and other details here

The poll panel also announced model code of conduct with immediate effect for 21 municipal corporations, 138 municipalities and 489 town panchayats. The Commission had announced the notification for poll schedule for local bodies in September 2016. However, it was held only four years later, that too only for rural local bodies. In the intervening years between 2017 and 2022, the matter made its rounds in the HC and SC through petitions filed by the DMK and the AIADMK. Initially, delimitation and reservation exercises were attributed for the delay in polls. In 2018, the then AIADMK government cited the red alert due to Cyclone Gaja and delayed the civic polls further. Since 2020, pandemic joined the list of reasons, even as Assembly polls were held as per schedule. During the all party meeting earlier this week, most political parties had favoured single-phase polling.

Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Director of Municipal Administration P Ponniah and Commissioner of Town Panchayats R Selvaraj have already issued orders to local bodies, directing them to keep the voters’ roll and polling booths ready.

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