TN urban local body polls to be held on February 19

“Filing of nominations will commence on January 28 and end on February 4. The last date to withdraw nominations is February 7.
EC V Palanikumar addresses the media in Chennai | DEBADATTA ADATTAADATTA ADATTA MALL ICK
EC V Palanikumar addresses the media in Chennai | DEBADATTA ADATTAADATTA ADATTA MALL ICK

CHENNAI: After a decade, elections to urban local bodies in the State are set to be held on February 19. The votes will be counted on February 22, and indirect polls for chiefs of urban local bodies, including mayors, will be on March 4, State Election Commissioner V Palanikumar announced here on Wednesday.
A total of 2.79 crore voters are set to elect 12,738 ward councillors across 21 city corporations, 138 municipalities and 490 town panchayats.

“Filing of nominations will commence on January 28 and end on February 4. The last date to withdraw nominations is February 7. A total of 31,029 polling booths will be set up, of which 5,794 will be in Chennai,” Palanikumar told reporters. EVMs will be used, and all the procedures, including filing, withdrawal, and scrutinisation of nominations, will be recorded on CCTV cameras.

Palanikumar said all safety precautions listed by the health department in view of the pandemic will be complied with. “Polling will be held between 7 am and 6 pm. Covid patients will be allowed to exercise their franchise in the last hour.” Palanikumar further said a maximum of three persons, including candidates, will be permitted to participate in door-to-door campaigning, and up to 100 people are allowed in indoor meetings.

1.3 lakh staff assigned to civic body election duties

To a query on whether Central forces will be called to provide security, Palanikumar said there is no necessity at the moment. Polling in sensitive booths will be monitored through CCTV or web cameras. “Union government officials will be deployed in such places as micro observers.”

About 80,000 police personnel will be deployed for the elections, and an IAS officer will be appointed as poll observer in each district. “As many as 1.3 lakh staff (four per booth) will be engaged in election duty,” Palanikumar said.

As expected, civic bodies have more female than male voters. Of the 2.79 crore electors, 1.37 crore are men and 1.42 are women. There are 4,324 trans-person voters. Councillors will choose a mayor and deputy mayor for corporations; chairpersons and vice-chairpersons for municipalities; and president and vice-president for panchayats on March 4.

Of the 21 corporations, mayor posts in nine corporations - Sivakasi, Kancheepuram, Vellore, Erode, Coimbatore, Madurai, Cuddalore, Dindigul, and Karur - are reserved for women (general). The posts of mayor for Chennai and Tambaram Corporations are reserved for SC (women).

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