Chennai, July 29:
Local body elections in Tamil Nadu are likely to be postponed to early 2027, with the State government extending the tenure of the seventh State Finance Commission till December 31, 2026, an official said on Tuesday.
The civic polls are closely linked to the recommendations of the State Finance Commission, which determines the financial devolution to local bodies. Preparations for the elections, including budget allocations, depend on the Commission’s assessment, the official added.
The government had recently issued an order extending the Commission’s tenure, which was originally set to expire on August 31 this year. With the extension now in place, officials indicated that the elections are likely to be pushed to early next year.
The last urban local body elections were held in a single phase on February 19, 2022, covering municipal corporations, municipalities, and town panchayats. Rural local body polls were conducted in phases on December 27 and 30, 2019, across 27 districts, and later on October 6, 2021, in the remaining nine districts, including Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram, following delimitation.
In major urban centres such as Chennai, ward boundaries remain unchanged for now. Sources said plans by the Greater Chennai Corporation to expand its limits by integrating adjoining panchayats like Vanagaram and Adayalampattu have been put on hold. The delimitation exercise in the city is expected to resume only after the release of the next national Census.