The Election Commission has prepared the draft proposal for the system of local authorities' constituencies (LACs) for the Legislative Council.
The document has been circulated to recognised national and State parties, whose views will be heard at a meeting here on Saturday.
The Chennai Corporation can send two nominees to the Legislative Council under the proposed system. There will be a total of 26 seats in the Council for representatives of local authorities. There will be seven seats each for teachers and graduates while there will be 26 seats for the representatives of Members of Legislative Assembly. The Governor can nominate 12 persons. The Council's total sanctioned strength will be 78. The Commission has divided the entire State into 25 districts.
As the State has 32 districts, seven have been clubbed with others. Perambalur has been grouped with Cuddalore; Karur with Namakkal; The Nilgiris with Coimbatore; Theni with Dindigul; Ariyalur with Tiruchi; Tiruvarur with Nagapattinam and Ramanathapuram with Sivaganga.
The 2001 Census data form the basis for the constituencies. In the case of seven districts – Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Pudukottai, Virudhunagar, Tirupur, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari, the population is in the range of 12.95 lakhs (Dharmapuri) to 19.31 lakhs (Tirupur). All these districts are assigned one seat each. In respect of others, the combined population of proposed LACs varies: 21.05 lakhs (Erode); 26.58 lakhs (Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur); 30.16 lakhs (Dindigul and Theni); 34.77 lakhs (Vellore); 35.77 lakhs (Coimbatore and The Nilgiris).
For teachers and graduates, the seven constituencies will be called Chennai, Tamil Nadu North, Tamil Nadu North Central, Tamil Nadu West, Tamil Nadu East Central, Tamil Nadu South Central and Tamil Nadu South constituencies. The Chennai constituency will comprise Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts; TN North – Vellore, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and Tiruvannamalai; TN North Central – Villupuram, Salem, Namakkal and Cuddalore; TN West – The Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Erode, Tirupur and Karur; TN East Central – Tiruchi, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Thanjavur; TN South Central – Dindigul, Pudukottai, Sivaganga, Madurai and Ramanathapuram and TN South – Theni, Virudhunagar, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari.
