The COVID-19 pandemic is unlikely to impact the elections to the 1,200-odd local bodies in the State and the polls are likely to be held in October itself.
Those at the State Election Commission (SEC), who are overseeing the conduct of the elections, hope that the spread of the disease will be contained in two months and the election process will be initiated on time.
V. Bhaskaran, the State Election Commissioner, exuded confidence that the elections could be held in October as decided earlier.
Any change in the schedule could lead to Constitutional crisis, as the newly elected local bodies will have to assume office in November this year. The term of local bodies has been fixed as five years through a Constitutional amendment by which the Panchayat Raj Act was introduced in the country.
“As of now, there is no change in the elections schedule. Even if the containment of the disease may take some more time, the elections could be held on time,” Mr. Bhaskaran told The Hindu.
The State Delimitation Commission, which has four senior government secretaries and the SEC as its chairman, is likely to meet shortly to reschedule the two-day training programme for officials who were to carry out the delimitation of wards in the local bodies. The proposal of delimitation of wards will be made by the secretaries of local bodies. The officials of the local bodies are currently focusing on COVID-19 control measures. The training programme was to be held on April 7 and 8.
The number of wards in local bodies will be revised through delimitation process after considering the increase in population in each local body during the last 10 years. The draft list of wards thus prepared will be published and objections invited. The final list will be published after holding a public hearing.
Political parties keenly follow the delimitation process, as redrawing of the contours of the divisions could influence the poll outcome.
The draft electoral list for all the districts except Kasaragod will be published on March 27. In Kasaragod, it would be released on April 6 as the district has gone for a compete shutdown following the detection of a few COVID-19 cases. The voters will get two opportunities more before the polls to enrol themselves in the list. The final voters’ list, which will be published after providing the general public opportunities to enrol themselves in the list, will be used for the 2020 elections, he said.
