EC says Tamil Nadu local body elections can't be held due to 'practical difficulties'

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu state Election Commission (TNSEC) on Thursday informed the Madras High Court that the polling to the local bodies cannot be held by May 14 in view of 'practical difficulties'.

The State Election Commission has filed a petition in the Madras High Court that they are ready to conduct the election by July end.

Earlier, moving an intervening petition, social activist A. Narayanan, relying on a five- judge directive of the Supreme Court, contended that the elections to local body cannot be deferred beyond six months after the expiry of the current term.

Noting how the Commission can be forced to conduct elections, when they claim that there are practical difficulties, the First Bench of Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G. Ramesh and Justice R.M.T. Teeka Raman direction the Commission to file a detailed counter explaining the difficulties.

On February 22, a Division Bench of the court directed the Commission to conduct the local body elections in Tamil Nadu no later than May 14.

The Commission was also directed to "truthfully" comply with the directions issued earlier by a single judge, including making mandatory the filing of affidavits declaring criminal antecedents of candidates and uploading them on the commission's website.