The Hindu : Kerala News : Polls to local bodies by September-end

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Friday, Feb 11, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

Polls to local bodies by September-end

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, FEB. 10. Elections to Panchayati Raj institutions in the State will be held by September-end, N. Mohandas, State Election Commissioner, has said.

Mr. Mohandas told presspersons here today that the Commission and the Government were in favour of holding elections by this time, failing which the administrative committees would take charge of the civic bodies.

He said the Commission had initiated steps to prepare the voters' list for the elections with January 1, 2005 as the cut-off date. A decision on updating the voters' list or conducting enumeration to prepare the list will be taken after obtaining feedback from Electoral Registration Officers (ERO) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AERO). The feedback will be ascertained at the training sessions to be held for these officers in different parts of the State, he said.

Most of the political parties in the State favour fresh enumeration. If necessary, the process should begin by April. More enumerators should be appointed for the job, he said.

The Commission has appointed secretaries of panchayats, municipalities and corporations as EROs for preparing the list. In the case of grama panchayats, panchayat secretaries have been appointed EROs, he said. The Commission has issued directives not to accept applications from political parties for enrolling voters in the list. Only individual applications will be considered. However, heads of families can submit applications, signed by the respective applicants, on behalf of the family members, Mr. Mohandas said.

Entries in the voters' list should have the house number of voters. In panchayat areas where no house numbers have been issued, the Commission will take steps to issue numbers and enumerate them in the list.

The Commission will digitise the voters' list. CD versions of the list will be made available. Kudumbasree units will be assigned the task of tabulating the voters' list.

Election of Mayors

The Election Commission is in favour of electing civic chiefs directly as it will bring in senior leaders into the civic administrative system. Moreover, it will end the practice of sharing the term between political parties and civic heads failing to complete their tenure. The State Government will have to make a decision in this regard and bring in the required amendments to the law, he said.

In 70 to 80 per cent cases, the civic chiefs, including presidents and vice-presidents, have failed to complete their term in office resulting in administrative crisis.

The names of disqualified candidates who have failed to file the election expenses will be marked in the voters' list. Nearly 13,000 persons have been disqualified for not filing election expenses on time.

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