Date:01/10/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/10/01/stories/2006100110470100.htm

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4.76 lakh candidates in the fray

S. Vydhianathan

8,400 nominations rejected; over hundred applications still under scrutiny

CHENNAI: The stage is set for the local body elections in the State with about 4.76 lakh candidates in the fray. The deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended on Saturday.

The polls are in two phases on October 13 and 15. The counting for both the phases will begin on October 18.

According to the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission, about 4.85 lakh nominations were received for rural and urban bodies. About 8,400 nominations were rejected and over a hundred applications were under scrutiny.

An official said in some places returning officers had a difficult task in assigning the symbol, as there was more than one claimant for the "Deepam" symbol. Both Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and Dalit Panthers demanded the symbol. As "Deepam" was a free symbol, lots had to be drawn for assigning it. In some wards, there was more than one Congress candidate seeking the "Hand" symbol and all of them had official letters from their party offices. In such cases, returning officers rejected their applications and allotted them independent symbols.

For the first time, Dalits filed their papers for the panchayat president and ward member posts in Pappapatti, Keeripatti, and Nattarmangalam panchayats in Madurai district and in Kottakatchiyendal panchayat in Virudhunagar district. For the last 10 years, these reserved panchayats had no elected representative and even if they anyone was elected he submitted his resignation immediately after the announcement of results.

The official said the final list of candidates in the fray would be known only on Sunday morning, as the commission was yet to get the final figure from various districts.

Enough security arrangements were made for peaceful conduct of elections and political parities were warned that severe action would be taken against those who violated the code of conduct. All materials such as indelible ink, ballot boxes and polling seal would be despatched to districts. The Commission identified 8,000 polling booths as sensitive and in all these booths polling would be videographed.

First victory

Meanwhile, the Democratic Progressive Alliance scored its first victory in the Kadayanallur Municipality, when four alliance candidates were elected unopposed. Two DMK and Congress candidates emerged victors as all opposition candidates withdrew their nomination papers, said Congress MLA S.Peter Alphonse.

In Avadi Municipality, All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidates had no recognised opposition candidates in three wards, as the nominations of DPA candidates were rejected on technical grounds.

Though an alliance had been struck among the DPA parties at the state-level, confusion prevailed at the district and taluk levels as alliance candidates filed nominations from the same wards. In Chennai Corporation, Communist Party of India (Marxist) broke away from the alliance protesting against allotment of just two seats to the party, which is contesting in 11 wards. The final picture would emerge only after next Tuesday, the official said.