TN Local Body Polls 2019: SC postpones elections in newly formed districts

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TN Local Body Polls 2019: SC postpones elections in newly formed districts

The State Election Commission had announced that the local body polls in TN will be held in two phases on December 27 and 30

Saturday December 7, 2019 10:46 AM, Pradip Bhattacharya, ummid.com

New Delhi/Chennai: The Supreme Court of India Friday allowed the Tamil Nadu government to hold local body polls scheduled for December 27 and 30 across the state, except in nine reconstituted districts. A bench of the Apex Court, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) S A Bobde, passed this judgment.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde, and also comprising Justice B R Gavai and Surya Kant while allowing the local body polls to be held as per the announced schedule, put on hold the local body polls in newly formed nine districts in Tamil Nadu.

The Apex Court was hearing DMK’s petition seeking that the local body polls be postponed till the delimitation process is completed in nine districts. The nine newly formed districts are Kallakurichi, Chengalpattu, Tenkasi, Tirupattur, Ranipet, Villupuram, Kancheepuram, Tirunelveli and Vellore.

A plea was filed in the SC by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhaga (DMK) , the principal opposition party in TN that sought direction to the State authorities to "carry out delimitation, reservation and rotation process and fulfil all other legal requirements" in the new districts before issuing any election notification and conducting elections for local bodies in Tamil Nadu.

The State Election Commission on Monday had announced that the local body polls in TN will be held in two phases on December 27 and 30 - without complying with the formalities.

Following this, the DMK party filed a fresh plea in the Apex Court seeking a direction to the Election Commission and TN government to complete the delimitation process in certain districts that had not been undertaken in Tamil Nadu for conduction the local body polls.

Hence the Court directed the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission to conduct the delimitation process and other formalities afresh and conclude the formalities within four months.

The Court said, while the local body polls in whole TN will be conducted as per schedule, polls in the nine newly bifurcated districts will be held in four months after delimitation is conducted.

The state government had created five new districts from four districts - namely Kallakurichi, Chengalpattu, Tenkasi, Villupuram, Kancheepuram, Tirunelveli, Tirupattur, Ranipet and Vellore — and the delimitation of wards has not been conducted in these districts so far.

The argument that the principal opposition party (DMK ) raised in the court was that people living in these districts might be confused regarding their wards due to the creation of new districts.

Meanwhile, DMK President M K Stalin welcomed the verdict and termed it as historic. Hailing the top court order, DMK President said, DMK is always ready, but the ruling party AIADMK is afraid to face the local body polls.

Following the SC order, the state election commission might issue a fresh notification for local body election soon.

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