India News | Ministers, MLAs in Puducherry Dub Decision on Civic Polls as

Puducherry, Oct 9 (PTI): A joint meeting of Ministers and legislators of Puducherry on Saturday adopted a unanimous resolution against what they said as arbitrary and unconstitutional the style of functioning of the territorial Election Commission in finalising the civic poll schedule.

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The meeting was convened by the Assembly Speaker R Selvam who chaired the deliberations. A press release from his office said the Ministers and legislators presented a copy of the resolution to the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory Tamilisai Soundararajan seeking her intervention.

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The release said the Commission has decided on the poll schedule without earmarking reservation for the Backward Classes (BCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs) in wards and also in offices of municipalities and commune panchayats.

It said that Speaker, during the meeting, pointed out that the Puducherry Municipalities and also Commune Panchayats Act and also the Constitution ensure statutory reservation of wards and posts for the BCs and the STs.

Based on these provisions and also in keeping with the verdict of the Madras High Court, the Local Administration Department of Puducherry published in the gazette a notification on March 7, 2019 earmarking quota of 33.5 per cent for the BCs and 0.5 per cent for the STs in the civic bodies.

It was said at the meeting that the delimitation of wards should be decided on the basis of the 2011 population here. It was also stated by the participants that the decision of EC to hold the polls without reservation is unlawful and defeats the spirit of social justice. The MLAs said holding the polls amid occasions such as De Facto Transfer Day of Puducherry (November 1), All Souls Day and also Diwali is opposed to practical possibilities. A situation has thus emerged to boycott the polls by all as the finalisation of poll schedule is contrary to directives of the Supreme Court and High Court, one of the resolutions adopted at the meeting said. Except Chief Minister N Rangasamy, all Ministers, belonging to the AINRC and BJP, and legislators took part in the meeting.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)