Tamil Nadu chief electoral officer Praveen Kumar said on Monday, "Polling stations for the council elections are identified. Once the EC announces the election date, we will give two weeks training to polling officers." It reflects total preparedness. But, practical difficulties are many.
The Census department will take entire February for population registry work. Since the machinery that does the census and election works is one and the same, the earliest one can think of holding council polls is in March. Also, there should be a mandatory gap of 31 days between the date of notification and polls -- five days before nominations, seven days for filing nominations, five days for withdrawal and 14 days from then till polls. They hold good for both assembly and council polls. The assembly poll notification could come by March-end or early April as the new assembly should be constituted by May 12.
School examinations also need to be held during the same period. Hence, it would be too much of a strain for the government officials and teachers if the council polls are scheduled for March. "Holding council polls before May will be tough. But if EC chooses to conduct, we have to," said a senior official.
Technically, present MLAs can vote in the council elections even after the assembly polls are notified, say legal experts. But the model code of conduct could put the brakes on the central and state governments.
The possibility of holding the legislative council polls after assembly elections depends on whether the DMK comes back to power. The AIADMK is opposed to reviving the council.
Delayed council elections could also affect seat-sharing of the two fronts in the assembly polls. The DMK, keen to contest in more than 150 assembly segments, was hoping to keep allies happy by offering a sizeable share in the council polls. With the council formation getting delayed, the party will have to rework its formula.
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