Date:29/01/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/01/29/stories/2007012907250100.htm

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Byelections to 100 wards on February 18

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Byelections to 100 wards of the Chennai Corporation will be held on February 18, the State Election Commission (SEC) announced on Sunday.

This follows the resignation of 98 councillors belonging to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led alliance in the wake of the Madras High Court's split verdict and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's advice. Already, vacancies exist for two wards. Nomination papers can be filed from Monday (January 29). The last date for filing the papers is February 5. Scrutiny of the papers will begin the next day and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is February 8. Counting of votes will begin on February 20 and the poll process will be completed the next day.

The indirect election to the post of Mayor will take place on March 1, according to D. Chandrasekaran, State Election Commissioner. A total of 2,195 polling booths will be set up. The number of voters is 22.91 lakhs. Asked whether the SEC made adequate arrangements in view of the violence in the local body polls in October, he said discussions would be held with the police and he would brief the media in a week.

On January 12, a two-member Division Bench of the court passed a split verdict on a batch of petitions filed by major parties, seeking cancellation of elections to all 155 wards in the Corporation in view of large-scale rigging and booth-capturing in October last.