Puducherry To Hold 3-Phased Local Body Elections From Oct 21

Elections will be held for 1,149 posts including five municipality chairpersons, 116 municipal councillors, 108 panchayat councillors, 108 panchayat presidents and 812 village panchayat members.

Representation Picture

Chennai: Puducherry state election commissioner Roy P Thomas on Wednesday announced that local body elections would be conducted in three phases on October 21, 25 and 28 in the union territory of Puducherry.

A report in IANS said that the election would be conducted after a gap of 15 years and the last election was conducted in 2006. 

Speaking to reporters, the commissioner said that the election was being conducted on the directions of the Supreme Court and it would be conducted in three phases on October 21, 25 and 28 while votes would be counted on October 31.

According to the report, elections would be conducted for 1,149 posts including five municipality chairpersons, 116 municipal councillors, 108 panchayat councillors, 108 village panchayat presidents and 812 village panchayat members. 

The election would be conducted for the municipalities of Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam along with five commune panchayats in Karaikal, Kotucherry, Nedungadu, Neravy, Thirunallar and Thirumalairayanpattinam in the first phase, while election would be conducted for the municipalities of Puducherry and Oulgaret in the second phase, the report said and added that five commune panchayats in Puducherry, Ariyankuppam, Bahour, Munnadipet, Nettapakkam and Villianur would go for polls in the third phase. 

Quoting the commissioner, the report said that the election would take place from 7am to 6pm and the last one hour between 5pm and 6pm would be allocated for Covid-19 patients. “Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) would be used for the first time in the Puducherry local body elections,” the commissioner said, as per the report.

The commissioner, according to the report, said that as many as 10,03,256 would be casting their votes at 1,629 polling stations and nomination filing commences from September 30.