For a State that boasts of having established a system of elected village bodies over 1,000 years ago (Kuda Olai Murai, as reflected in Uttaramerur inscriptions of the Parantaka Chola era [907-955 C.E]), the prolonged absence of grassroots-level democratic bodies must be an irony.
Tamil Nadu, for the first time since the mid-1990s, has been without elected local bodies in urban and rural areas for more than two consecutive years.
On December 30 last year, the State government got yet another ordinance promulgated, extending the term of office of special officers of local bodies up to June 30, 2019. A few days later, in the customary address delivered by Governor Banwarilal Purohit to the State Assembly, there was no reference to conducting civic polls, though the Governor had covered the government’s plans, policies and programmes on a number of other matters.