The notification for the long pending local body polls could be issued very shortly.
Notwithstanding the objections raised by a section of legislators, including those belonging to the ruling BJP in the recent Budget session of the Assembly, the State Election Commission is going ahead with the schedule as directed by the Supreme Court.
A few legislators had sought a postponement of the polls due to COVID-19 and also citing anomalies in the delimitation exercise.
As per the Supreme Court order, the SEC is scheduled to complete the local body polls by October 4.
The Supreme Court had directed the Commission to conduct the polls on the basis of a contempt petition filed by a lawyer from Mahe, Ashok Kumar, citing the delay in holding the local body elections.
“We are going ahead with the plans. The notification announcing the schedule of local body polls will be issued very shortly,” said an official. The Commission had already procured 2,000 Electronic Voting Machines from Telangana and another 1,300 machines from Karnataka.
In addition, the SEC had also brought 500 more ballot units from Karnataka as the number of machines to be used for the local body polls are higher due to the number of votes to be cast by the voters in the municipality and village panchayats.
The machines procured are in addition to the 1,100 units already with the Election Commission of India, Puducherry, the official added.
Unlike in the Assembly poll, voters would have to exercise two votes for the municipality and three at the panchayat-level. So, each EVM would have three ballot units and one control unit, the official added.
