Thiruvananthapuram, Wednesday, 01 September 2010: State Election Commission has decided to conduct the local body polls at single phase. The decision came after the verdict of High Court on Tuesday ordering the conduct of polls at one go.

The EC has informed that the election would be held in the last week of October. The date for the polls and proclamation would be decided within a week. It has also assured that the new governing body would take over by November1st.

The decision regarding the same was taken in a meeting of the State Election Commission held this morning following the HC verdict.

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Earlier report

Putting an end to the controversy regarding the conduction of upcoming local body polls, High Court on Tuesday directed it to be conducted at single phase.

A division bench comprising of Jus.C.N. Ramachandran and Jus.K.Surendramohan also directed the government that the new governing body after the polls should take over before November 1st. The Court, however, refused to involve in the election formalities and opined that the State Election Commission can take suitable decision in this regard
Earlier in the day the government in an affidavit had informed the high court that a two-phase election was not practical in the case of local bodies. The government submitted before the court that such an act would result in additional liability for the exchequer. Voters from six districts would be forced to exercise their franchise twice because of such a step.

The state election commission had on Monday submitted before the court that the state government is the sole responsible person for delaying the polls.