The local body elections in the Nilgiris is likely to be held in two phases due to a lack of electoral officials in the district, said Nilgiris District Collector J. Innocent Divya.
At a meeting with members of political parties in the Nilgiris to discuss arrangement for the local body elections, Ms. Divya said that after checking the list of electoral officials available in the Nilgiris, they had written to the State Election Commission asking for the polls to be held in two phases in the district.
Ms. Divya said that 393 polling booths would be operational in four panchayat unions in the Nilgiris, 194 in the four municipalities and 201 in the 11 town panchayats.
As there were more than 1,500 voters in Melur in Coonoor and Srimadurai in Gudalur, there would be two additional polling booths in urban areas, bringing the total number of polling booths in urban areas to 395, while two additional polling booths would also function in Nelliyalam, bringing the total number of polling booths in rural areas to 397.
There are 5,57,693 voters in the district, of which 2,45,599 are living in rural areas and 3,12,094 voters are in urban areas.
