Chennai: The State Election Commission is ready for civic polls. Poll materials, stationery and voters' lists are ready.
A preliminary round of meetings with collectors has also been completed, state election commissioner M. Malik Feroze Khan told Deccan Chronicle.
Responding to the query on the SEC delaying civic polls since last year, the election commissioner said that there were legal and other issues delaying the poll process. Litigations pending before the Supreme Court and the Madras high court are coming up on July 12 and 14, he said.
Madras high court Justice N. Kirubakaran had given a compliance to be adhered to, the commissioner explained.
Sources in the secretariat hint that the State Election Commission and the state will try to delay the local body polls for the third time.
The SEC, during a recent petition in the Madras high court, submitted that the SEC would conduct civic polls for about 1.5 lakh posts by July, but now with the ruling party fighting over the party symbol and the state not in a mood to go for polls, it is now examining legal options before it to delay the polls further, highly placed sources told Deccan Chronicle.
“The power of people is the tower of democracy — this is the power packed punch line of the State Election Commission displayed on its official website, but where is democracy when the polls are not conducted as per schedule?” asked Madras high court advocate B. Iyappan. In a way the absence of councillors is welcomed by people but in the case of drinking water shortage and minor civic issues, the system needs an elected public representative, he opined.
