Puducherry: MLAs Warn Of Boycotting Civic Polls If EC Fails To Reserve Seats For BCs, STs

Legislators demanded the adoption of rotational principles in granting reservation as per the provisions of the Puducherry Municipalities and Commune Panchayat Act and following the ward delimitation.

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Chennai: Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) of both ruling and opposition parties in Puducherry sought the intervention of Lt Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan to direct the state election commission to conduct the local body elections after reserving seats to backward classes and scheduled tribes. 

According to a report in the New Indian Express, the legislators led by the speaker of the territorial assembly, R Selvam, also sought her intervention in adopting the rotational principles in granting reservation as per the provisions of the Puducherry Municipalities and Commune Panchayat Act and following the ward delimitation.

During a meeting, the legislators observed that the election commission’s fresh announcement regarding the local body election and notification on the reservation of seats were in violation of court guidelines and provisions of municipalities and commune panchayat act, the report said. 

Quoting a statement from the speaker, the report said that Opposition leader R Siva, minister, and legislators observed that the High Court did not revoke the reservation right of backward classes and scheduled tribes to conduct the elections and it was removed by the government only to correct anomalies.

But the election commission in a hurry to announce poll dates did not discuss the seat reservation with the government and notified polls without BC and ST reservation, the statement said. 

The legislators passed a resolution demanding the election commission not to conduct polls without reserving seats for BCs and STs as conducting elections without proper reservation is against law and it goes against the social justice system.

If the election commission continues to go ahead with its announcement without removing the anomalies, political parties would boycott the polls, according to the report.