Tamil Nadu keeps special officers in charge of rural bodies till April 2027

The Tamil Nadu government has extended the tenure of special officers in 28 districts and appointed special officers in nine more districts, keeping them in charge of rural local bodies until April 19, 2027.

The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department issued a government order covering the arrangement.

The special officers will administer village panchayats, panchayat union councils and district panchayats in the affected districts.

Why the extension was required

The tenure of elected representatives of rural local bodies in the 28 districts ended on January 5, 2025.

The State government then appointed special officers to administer the three categories of rural local bodies in those districts from January 6, 2025, for six months.

Since then, the tenure of the special officers has been extended every six months in the 28 districts.

The Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act, 1994, was also amended in connection with these extensions.

The latest order means that the special officers will continue administering the rural local bodies in these districts until April 19, 2027.

Nine more districts brought under arrangement

The tenure of elected representatives in nine other districts ended on October 19, 2026.

The districts are Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur, Tirunelveli and Tenkasi.

In these districts, the State government has now appointed special officers to administer village panchayats, panchayat union councils and district panchayats until April 19, 2027.

The order does not include the nine newly formed panchayat unions and 93 newly formed village panchayats.

Elections held up by delimitation and reservation work

In a letter to the government, the Commissioner of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj said it would not be possible to conduct elections to rural local bodies in all 37 districts before October 19, 2026.

The delay is linked to the finalisation of the process to merge 46 rural local bodies with urban local bodies.

The notification of expanded urban local bodies would also alter the boundaries of village panchayats, panchayat union councils and district panchayats.

The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department subsequently issued final notifications for nine newly formed panchayat unions and 93 village panchayats.

It also issued a notification for the amalgamation of one village panchayat.

Following these changes, delimitation and reservation exercises have to be undertaken in 23 districts.

The Commissioner’s letter said elections to rural local bodies cannot be conducted without completing these processes.

The latest government decision therefore keeps special officers in place while the boundary-related and reservation exercises required for the rural local body elections remain to be completed.

Source: The Hindu