Chennai: The state election commission is expected to announce the dates for rural local body elections in nine new districts on September 15, said a report. The commission is likely to conduct the poll by September-end. The districts are Kancheepuram, Chengalpet, Vellore, Tirupathur, Ranipet, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Tirunelveli and Tenkasi.
Quoting a source, a Times of India report said that the commission will announce the election dates on September 15 and polls will be conducted by September-end after giving a week’s time for filing nominations and withdrawal.
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The local body elections were pending since October 2016 after the then opposition DMK filed a complaint against the delimitation exercise. The Supreme Court, in June, gave time till September 15 for conducting local body elections even though the commission had pointed out the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic situation in the state.
The source, according to the report, had said that the commission had been holding talks with the officials from district administrations to expedite the election notification process.
Both the ruling DMK and the opposition AIADMK leaders had also been conducting meetings with their respective district functionaries, the report added.
Meanwhile, the business advisory committee of the state legislative assembly met recently to advance the debate on demand for grants for government departments by a week and it has been decided to end the session by September 13, the report said. The budget session was originally scheduled till September 21.
Rajya Sabha byelection on September 13
In another development, the Election Commission on Tuesday said that Rajya Sabha bypoll to fill one vacant seat in Tamil Nadu will be held on September 13. The bypoll is to fill the vacancy created in Rajya Sabha following the demise of AIADMK member A Mohammedjan, 72, on March 23, this year. The commission also said that Covid-19 protocols will be following during the election.