Why delay civic polls: Politicos, bureaucrats

Chennai: Politicians and some bureaucrats are upset with the state election commission for delaying the Tamil Nadu local body poll gazette notifications and the declaration of the status of wards and municipal posts that are reserved for women.

Though the district collectors have started releasing the draft voters' rolls and have kick started the election awareness programmes, a few officers in charge of local body polls rued that the commission was dragging time in declaring the election dates, which according to official sources is expected by this week.

“We are in the third week of September and we just have a month's time, as the new councils have to assume office by the end of October. Where is the time to correct draft rolls, print new ones with photos, inspect the booths, train the staff for local body polls and arrange the poll materials,” rued a senior official pointing out the local bodies also have to gear up for the monsoon and this delay by the commission will only add last minute pressure on district collectorates, the official
said.

“The state has declared that 50 per cent of the seats in local bodies are to be reserved for women in the ensuing polls, but till now there is no clarity on the general seats and the ones reserved for women, then within a month's time political seat arrangements and campaign had to be finished,” said Karate R. Thiagarajan, former deputy mayor and Congress functionary.

The state election commission has to understand that there is hardly any time and has to notify the poll and the schedule, he said. Monday also saw rumours making rounds in social media that Chennai will have a woman mayor and the name of former minister B. Valarmathi was doing the rounds.

When scribes thronged at the former minister's residence, she clarified it was a rumour. “I am just a party observer for the local body polls and now please leave from here,” Valarmathi told reporters.