Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Wednesday promulgated an ordinance for holding indirect elections to the post of mayors and chairpersons of municipalities in the state.
"The government has decided to elect a mayor of the corporation indirectly by councillors from among themselves. The Mayor shall hold office for a period of five years from the date of his election and he shall continue as such mayor, provided that in the meantime he does not cease to be a councillor," said an order published by Tamil Nadu government gazette extraordinary.
After being elected, a mayor shall be deemed to have vacated his office on his becoming disqualified for holding the office or on his removal from office or on the expiry of his term of office or on his otherwise ceasing to be the mayor.
Besides 528 town panchayats, the order will be applied to 15 corporations and 121 municipalities.
The opposition party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has condemned the move by ruling AIADMK government as it was maintained till October that direct elections would be held for the mayoral post. The local body elections were not held in the state for the past three years. As the new ordinance has come, the state Election Commission will soon issue a notification on the polls.