The Hindu 21.06.2010
Local body polls declaration by August 15
C. Gouridasan Nair
| Notification only by August-end to enable continuation of development activities |
Draft voters’ list will be published on July 1
Final electoral roll by August 10
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The draft voters’ list for the coming local body elections will be published on July 1 and the formal election declaration made around August 15.
State Election Commissioner P. Kamalkutty told The Hindu here on Sunday that the final electoral roll would be published by August 10 after considering complaints and objections about it. The election notification would be issued by August-end so that the duration between the declaration of elections and the actual notification could be kept to the minimum to enable continuation of development activities, he said.
Mr. Kamalkutty said the elections would be held on the basis of the voters’ list prepared by the Central Election Commission in 2009 with additions and deletions wherever necessary.
The 2009 electoral rolls were being adopted for the local body elections because the Election Commission had given ward-level break-up of voters for the first time in 2009, though with the handicap that the wards shown in the list were those that existed in 1995.
Some changes had been effected in the composition of some of the panchayats subsequently. There were also instances of whole panchayats being merged with municipalities and municipal corporations.
Delimitation work
The ongoing delimitation work is likely to delay publication of electoral rolls of Munnar and the newly formed Edamalkkudi panchayats as also those of Kottayam, Thripunithura, Irinjalakuda, Kodungalloor, Guruvayur, Karunagapally, Thrikkakara, Eloor, Maradu, Kottakkal, Nilambur and Neeleswaram municipalities.
Mattannur to be left out
Since elections in Mattannur municipality were held late last time, it would be left out of the current election process, which would leave rolls of 47 municipalities ready for publication on July 1 along with those of Thrissur, Kochi and Kollam municipal corporations.
The lists of Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram would have to wait as some of the adjacent panchayats have been attached to them.
