IN the state of Tamil Nadu, during the last decade, the AIADMK was responsible for not holding elections to local bodies.

Though the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution mandated holding regular elections to the local bodies, the same was not done in the state. There were no elected representatives of the people to the local bodies. These bodies are directly connected to the people in all respects. As the bureaucracy is not answerable to the people directly, the ruling party and the bureaucracy joined hands to rule the state minus the peoples’ participation. The public money was swindled through close relatives and Benami transactions by the ministers.

The corruption of the AIADMK came to light when Chennai was submerged in water for a few days after rain. The ‘smart city’ slogan got exposed. Thousands of crores of rupees went into tatters during that period. When an NGO exposed Rs 1,000 crore corruption scandal and filed a PIL before the Madras High Court, the AIADMK tried to hoodwink the court through various designs. Even during the pandemic, there was a furore that Rs 1,000 crore was misused in the purchase of disinfectants and bleaching powder. There was corruption in fixing tin sheets for isolating the Corona affected families in residential areas.

During this period all the civil and maintenance works were given away to contractors where the exploitation of labour was so acute. Schemes were designed only to indulge in corruption. Though these elections were due in 2016, these were dragged on various pretexts. Despite the warnings of the high court, the AIADMK government conducted elections to local bodies in many districts leaving aside nine districts that were newly formed.

Considering all the above past experience in Tamil Nadu, the forthcoming elections to the local bodies to be held on February 19 is very crucial to the people of the state. The urban life is in tatters due to the anti-people neo-liberal policies of the centre. The rural people are also finding it difficult to sustain their livelihoods and hence are rushing towards cities.

The DMK government has decided to conduct elections to all the local bodies of nine newly formed districts as well as to the municipalities and corporations in the state. The CPI(M)  Tamil Nadu state committee has decided to contest these elections in association with DMK and other parties of the Secular Democratic Front and called upon the people to vote for the party candidates. It also called upon the people to safeguard the democratic rights as well as the rights of the state by voting to this secular front. In this election, the CPI(M) will be contesting 66 seats in 14 corporations, 169 seats in 34 municipalities and 374 seats in 27 panchayat unions in newly formed nine districts in the state.