Tamil Nadu local body elections cannot be held until population census work, ward delimitation and reservation procedures are completed, the state government told the Madras High Court on Wednesday. The government’s submission came during a public interest litigation seeking the conduct of local body polls and challenging the appointment of special officers to administer local bodies.
The case was heard by the Madras High Court after the court had directed the Tamil Nadu government and the State Election Commission to respond to the petition. During the hearing, Justice Senthilkumar raised questions with the state government, following which the government filed its response.
In its filing, the state government said population census work was currently under way and had created a situation in which local body elections could not be conducted immediately. It said the census process would have to be completed before the next stages could be taken up.
The government said elections could be held only after ward delimitation and reservation procedures were completed. Ward delimitation determines the boundaries of electoral wards, while reservation procedures decide the allocation of seats under the applicable categories. Both processes affect the structure of local representation before voters go to the polls.
The response places the timing of the elections at the intersection of three administrative exercises: the population census, the redrawing of ward boundaries and the completion of reservations. Until these steps are concluded, the state has indicated that the existing arrangement involving special officers will continue to administer local bodies.
The petition before the High Court has sought directions for conducting the local body elections and questioned the appointment of special officers. The Tamil Nadu government’s position is that the election process cannot be completed ahead of the census, delimitation and reservation exercises. The State Election Commission has also been made a respondent in the case.
The government’s filing does not provide a specific election date in the material available from the hearing. The immediate procedural milestones identified in its response are the completion of the population census, followed by ward delimitation and reservation-related work. The High Court will consider the submissions made by the parties as the case proceeds.
