The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has passed a Bill for the constitution of a ‘delimitation commission’ for the delimitation of wards of local bodies, both rural and urban, based on the 2011 census.
Introducing the Bill in the House, Municipal Administration and Rural Development Minister S.P. Velumani said that given the sensitive nature of reservation of wards for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Women, the government had decided to constitute the commission.
However, the DMK has opposed the Bill at the introductory stage itself.
DMK deputy leader Duraimurugan asked whether the Commission would submit its report within a specific timeline.
Review every 10 years
In response, Mr. Velumani said that the DMK had sought the constitution of such a commission and had gone to the court against the conduct of local body elections; hence, the party should welcome the Bill.
“The Commission will review [the boundaries] once in 10 years. Kerala has such a Commission,” he said.
Subsequently, the Bill was passed in the Assembly by a voice vote.
DMK picks holes
Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Mr. Duraimurgan said that the government could not give any timeline for the Commission to submit its report and that the whole exercise looked like delaying tactics to postpone the local body elections further.