The AIADMK government under Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has decided to revert to direct elections for the posts of Mayor of Corporations and Chairpersons of Municipalities, a shift from Jayalalithaa’s policy of going in for indirect elections.
In the last local body elections held in 2011, mayors were directly elected. However, the State witnessed byelections for mayoral posts in Coimbatore, Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli following resignations of the incumbents. Subsequently, in 2016, the then Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa chose to go in for indirect elections to these posts but the civic elections were not held.
According to the Bill tabled in the Assembly on Thursday, after the enactment of the Act making the elections indirect in 2016, “a large number of representations have been received” from the general public, various forums and elected representatives that the direct election to the officer of the Mayors of municipal corporations and Chairmen of municipalities and town panchayats would be the “best system for smooth functioning of administration of the local bodies.”
The Heads of Departments too informed that most of the mayors and chairmen elected through indirect election were “paying more attention in the development of their division/ward from where they are elected, instead of the entire area” of local bodies, the Bill reasoned.
“They have to depend upon the strength of the councillors and members of such urban local bodies and they will not be in a position to act independently and to take an independent decision for uniform development in the area of the urban local bodies for serving the betterment of people more effectively,” it stated.
It was after “careful consideration” that the government had decided to change the method of election to these posts from indirect to direct election, which “will facilitate the better administration” of the municipal corporations, municipalities and town panchayats for “more efficient and quick delivery of civic services” to the people.
Another Bill introduced in the House sought to replace the ordinance promulgated last year empowering local bodies to levy entertainment tax for screening of new and old films.
In another Bill, the government sought to replace another ordinance promulgated in connection with the constitution of the Delimitation Commission for delimitation of territorial area into divisions and wards based on the latest Census.
