Local Administration Minister S.P. Velumani on Wednesday told the Assembly that the State government was ready to conduct elections to the local bodies.

Replying to Opposition leader M.K. Stalin, who raised the issue, the Minister said the elections will be held since the delimitation of wards had been completed after a gap of 22 years.

‘Funds released’

“A total of 1,19,290 wards have been delimited. We will certainly [be] ready to conduct the elections,” Mr. Velumani further added.

When Mr. Stalin pointed to Union Panchayati Raj Minister Narendra Singh Tomar’s reply to a query by DMK MP A. Raja, that grants (for the local bodies) had not been released to Tamil Nadu since 2016-19, the Minister said the Central government had released ₹8,531.96 crore after he and the Chief Minister met the Union Minister.

Court cases

“We have [yet] to get the dues for 2017-18 and 2018-19 because of cases pending in court. We are taking steps to get the grant, as we have done in the past,” the Minister said.