Chennai: State election commission, local bodies and AIADMK government are all on the same page and are not in a hurry to hold the mayor and local body polls. "Former chief minister Jayalalithaa's demise, litigation in Madras High Court and the looming drinking water shortage are the issues that will delay the polls by another three months", said an informed state official who is also a special officer executing the powers of an elected council.
The announcement by the local administration minister S. P Velumani in the Assembly on Monday that the civic polls will get delayed further by another three months had also disappointed aspiring councillors.
"I have spent about Rs 1.5 lakh money on the campaign, but there is no further update either from the political parties or the state election commission. Now I feel that the money I spent on the campaign is a total waste as I would have again had to spend if the polls are announced after April," said a former AIADMK councillor aspiring for a second term in harbour constituency.
The TN local body polls in the state were originally scheduled during October 2016, but due to an interim order by the Madras high court the poll schedule was set aside and the court instructed the state election commission to fix a final schedule for the civic poll polls. To handle the situation, the state, municipal administration department passed a government order appointing municipal commissioners and administrative officers as special officers and the order again were extended for six more months in January. The special officers can discharge the functions of elected representatives in urban and rural local bodies till June 30, 2017, the official explained.
According to a senior Chennai corporation official, there are no signs of holding elections until April as the board exams are scheduled. Further, the local bodies are also now facing a task of providing drinking water in tail-end areas, the official said.
