Corpn Polls: Filing of nominations begin

By Staff
|
Google Oneindia News

Chennai, Jan 29 (UNI) Filing of nominations for the February 18 re-elections to 100 wards of Chennai Corporation Council began today.

The nominations will be accepted till February 5 and scrutiny will be taken up on February 6.

The last date for withdrawal of nominations is February 8.

The State Election Commission has made elaborate measures for the conduct of re-election. As many as 20 Returning Officers have been appointed for the election process.

On the opening day, only a few independents chose to file their papers, sources said.

The re-poll was necessitated following the resignation of Mayor M Subramanian and 97 other councillors in the wake of the Madras High Court's split verdict on reported violence during the corporation polls.

In a verdict on January 12, Mr Justice S J Mukhopadhaya held that it was not feasible to determine whether elections were free and fair or invalid, while Mr Justice F M Ibrahim Kalifulla ordered a repoll in 99 wards citing irregularities.

Following this, Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi urged the Councillors to put in their papers and seek a re-election.

However, Mr Armstrong of Bahujan Samaj Party, whose ward figured in the list of 99 wards, refused to resign.

As two AIADMK councillors had already resigned in protest against alleged violence and malpractices during the polling, 100 wards had fallen vacant.

Blaming Mr Karunanidhi and Local Administration Minister M K Stalin for the violence during polling, AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa had announced that her party would boycott the re-election if they did not resign owning moral responsibility for it.

She had also demanded the removal of State Election Commissioner D Chandrasekaran, DGP D Mukherjee and City Police Commissioner Letika Saran for ''failing'' to discharge their duty.

UNI

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