Polling for urban local bodies underway in Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, polling for the urban local bodies is now underway. The polling started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, with the last one hour dedicated to the electors who are Covid positive. The election is being held in a single phase for all the 21 municipal corporations, 138 municipalities and 489 town panchayats.

Over 57,700 candidates are contesting on party lines to fill about 12,800 ward councillors. Counting of votes will be held on the 22nd of this month. The ward councillors will later elect the mayors and deputy mayors of the corporations and chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of the municipalities and the town panchayats.

The state election commission has made elaborate arrangements for a peaceful polling. In all the election-bound urban regions, local holiday has been declared. Security has been beefed up in the booths that are identified as sensitive, where web cameras are mounted to monitor the polling in real-time.

The ongoing urban civic polls in Tamil Nadu assume significance, as it happens after



about ten years of marathon legal battles.

Compared to the previous local body polls, the number of candidates elected unopposed this time has come down to just 228, reflecting the fierce nature of the ongoing battle. However, observers say the campaigning this time remained a low-key affair, with major parties banking heavily on digital mode.

The ruling DMK and its coalition partners try to consolidate their positions in this election, as it comes in just about ten months after the state Assembly polls. The opposition NDA which is led by the AIADMK in the state remains divided.

The BJP has come out of the alliance, saying it tries to test its own strength by going it alone, though it has clarified that its alliance at the national level continues.

The PMK, a partner in the NDA, has also parted company for the local body elections. Tamil Nadu is one of the most urbanized states in the country and therefore high stakes are involved in today's elections.