First phase of TN local body polls on Friday

Tamil Nadu will face the first phase of elections to rural local bodies on Friday, after a gap of three years. Elections are being held in all but 10 districts, including nine which have been reorganised in the past few months.

Elections to 260 councillors of district panchayats, 2,546 councillors of panchayat unions and 37,830 panchayat presidents will be held on Friday. The second phase will be held on December 30.

Local body elections in Tamil Nadu are being held after a gap of three years and this is the first time in the state’s history that elections to rural local bodies and urban seats are being held separately.

The elections will test the popularity of both DMK and AIADMK at the ground level for the first time after the death of its stalwarts J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi.

While the counting of votes will be taken up on January 2, 2020, indirect elections to elect district panchayat and panchayat union chairpersons and vice-chairpersons will be held on January 11.

More than 3.31 crore voters will be eligible to exercise their franchise to elect 1.18 lakh people to various posts -- panchayat ward member, president, district panchayat ward member and panchayat union ward member -- in the rural local bodies.

Local bodies in Tamil Nadu remain unrepresented since October 2016 due to various litigation.