Chennai: In compliance with the directions of Madras High Court, Puducherry Election Commission on Friday announced revised dates to conduct elections to five municipalities and ten commune panchayats in the Union Territory of Puducherry. The local body elections would be conducted in three phases on November 2, 7 and 13.
According to a statement from the election commission, Pondicherry and Oulgaret municipalities would go to polls in the first phase. Ariyankuppam, Bahour, Mannadipet, Nettapakkam and Villianur panchayats would go to polls in the second phase while Karaikal, Mahe, Yanam, Kottucherry, Nedungadu, Neravy, Thirunallar and Thirumalairayanpattinam would go to polls in the third phase.
The union territory has as many as 6,03,476 voters and 1,629 polling stations. The elections would be conducted to elect representatives for five municipality chairperson posts, 116 municipality councillor posts, 108 commune panchayat council member posts, 108 village panchayat president posts and 812 village panchayat ward member posts.
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Candidates could start filing their nomination papers between October 11 and 18 for the first phase, October 15 and 22 for the second phase and October 22 and 29 for the third phase.
“With this announcement, the model code of conduct comes into force with immediate effect,” said the statement.
The commission further appealed to the electors, candidates and their agents and all the officials involved in the election duty to take Covid-19 vaccination. The statement said that the commission has banned processions, road shows, street plays and cycle, bike and vehicle rallies as a measure to prevent outbreak of Covid-19 infection, while public meetings and house-to-house campaigns would be allowed with strict restrictions.
The announcement of indirect elections to select vice chairmen of the municipalities, chairman and vice chairman of the commune panchayat councils and vice president of village panchayats would be announced after the declaration of the results of the direct elections, the statement added.