SC reserves order on DMK plea for delimitation in TN to conduct local body polls

The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on a plea seeking a direction to the EC for completing formalities required to carry out delimitation to pave way for local body polls in nine districts of Tamil Nadu.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde, reserved the order on the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham petition (DMK) after the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission told the apex court that it is ready to hold local body polls, except in nine districts.

The court told the state Advocate General (AG) to take instructions from the state government whether the polls, scheduled this month, could be postponed in nine districts, pending delimitation.

"Time of elections itself is not a negation of democracy. We are saying the law must be followed if it leads postponement or stay of elections, so be it," the court said.

The DMK told the court that no delimitation took place in nine districts of Tamil Nadu that are going for to polls.

MK Stalin-led party, in its petition, stated that the necessary formalities for delimitation have yet not been undertaken in Tamil Madu for conducting the local bodies polls.

Senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared before the bench on behalf of the DMK.

It is to be noted that the local body elections in the state will be held in two phases on December 27 and December 30, 2019. The counting of votes will take place on January 2, 2020.