Elections will be conducted on October 7 to fill 603 vacancies in various local bodies in Tamil Nadu. These vacancies arose due to death of sitting members or lack of candidates.
The notification will be issued by by the State Election Commission on Wednesday and the receipt of nominations will commence on the same date. The last date for filing nominations will be September 23, scrutiny on the following day and withdrawal of candidature on September 26. The counting will be done on October 9.
State Election Commissioner D. Chandrasekaran told journalists on Tuesday that the “causal elections” (byelections) said would be held for 506 vacancies in rural areas and 97 vacancies in urban areas. It would be on party basis for 115 posts of district panchayat wards, panchayat union wards, municipal and corporation wards and on non-party basis for 448 posts of village panchayat presidents and panchyat ward members.
Electronic voting machines would be used for urban local bodies and polling would be on traditional ballot paper system for rural bodies.
Mr. Chandrasekaran said the Commission would request the government to appoint observers of IAS status for Tiruchi and Tirupur Corporations, where elections would be held for one ward each. Collectors had been asked to identify sensitive areas to post additional police forces, he added.