A total of 101 nominations were filed on the first day of filing of nominations for local body polls in Madurai district here on Monday.
All nominations across 13 panchayat unions - Madurai East, Madurai West, Tirupparankundram, Melur, Kottampatti, Vadipatti, Alanganallur, Usilampatti, Chellampatti, Sedapatti, Tirumangalam, T. Kallupatti and Kallikudi - were filed for the posts of village panchayat presidents and village panchayat ward members. No nominations were received for the posts of panchayat union councillors and district panchayat councillors on day one.
In the district, there are 3,273 posts of village panchayat ward members, 420 village panchayat presidents, 214 panchayat union councillors and 23 district panchayat councillors.
A total of 10,85,342 people are eligible to exercise their franchise in 2,032 polling booths across the district.
Two phases
The first phase of elections will be held on December 27 for Madurai East, Madurai West, Vadipatti, Alanganallur, Kottampatti and Melur unions.
The next phase will be held on December 30 for Usilampatti, Chellampatti, Sedapatti, Tirumangalam, T. Kallupatti, Kallikudi and Tirupparankundram unions.
Candidates contesting for the posts of panchayat ward members and panchayat presidents filed nominations at their respective panchayat offices whereas those contesting for union councillors and district panchayat councillors can file nominations at their respective panchayat union offices.
The highest number of nominations - 23 candidates - were filed in Madurai East panchayat union . Chellampatti block received no nomination.
Security
Collector T. G. Vinay, who inspected the Madurai East union office, said that around 750 police personnel were deployed in the nomination filing centres to ensure security.
“We are taking extra care to ensure that surveillance teams are present round-the-clock in sensitive wards. We are expecting guidelines on whether static surveillance teams will be necessary or if flying squads will do to check illicit movement of cash,” he said.
