Tamil Nadu - Tirunelveli   

No election for four village panchayat wards in Nellai

Staff Reporter

No nomination has been received from these segments

TIRUNELVELI : While door-to-door canvassing for votes across the district is going on in full swing as local body elections are to be held in two phases on October 13 and 15, there are no poll-related activities in four village panchayat wards as no nomination was received for these segments.

Sources in the Department of Revenue said no nomination was received for first ward of Azhagappapuram village panchayat, reserved for Scheduled Caste — General, under Nanguneri union as aspirants of this ward, who had decided to file their papers on September 27, the last date for filing of nominations, had to rush Pannampaarai under Sattankulam union in Tuticorin district on that day to attend the sudden death of their relative there. "Hence there is nothing fishy," the sources said.

Similarly, no Scheduled Caste women in the first ward of Urumankulam panchayat under Radhapuram union filed nomination for this ward. "This is purely due to ignorance. When nobody from this ward is ready to contest, Dalit women from other wards were also not prepared to file their papers for this ward. We'll create awareness that someone from this ward will contest the next election to be conducted within six months," a revenue official said.

Though there are only two Dalit families living in ward 4 of North Vijayanarayanam panchayat, it was declared as Scheduled Caste — General ward, thanks to the alternation system being followed by the State Election Commission. As no one from these two families was willing to contest, officials from Nanguneri panchayat union held several rounds of talks with members of these families, but in vain. Efforts to persuade Dalits from other wards under this panchayat also failed to fructify.

The first ward of Saattupaththu panchayat under Pappakudi panchayat union, categorised as a General ward, faced a different problem. As the two nominations received for this two-member ward was withdrawn for reasons best known to voters of this ward, election would not be held for this ward.

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