Chennai: State Assembly on Tuesday witnessed heated arguments over the inordinate delay in conducting elections to about 1.5 lakh civic posts.

Tiruvannamalai legislator and DMK MLA K. Pitchandi on Tuesday blamed the ruling AIADMK for delaying the civic polls.

Despite Madras high court instructing the state election commission and the state to conduct the polls, AIADMK was tactically delaying the polls, he said.

Responding to the issue, local administration minister S.P. Velumani said the state was ready last year to conduct the polls but it was because of the opposition DMK the polls were delayed.

DMK filed petitions in the court regarding reservations and delimitations and this caused the delay for conducting polls. The matter is pending before the courts. Once, when the judgment is passed the state will abide by the court directions, the minister said.

Intervening, DMK leader M.K. Stalin said the objective of his party’s petition in the court was to ensure free and fair polls by following reservation rules. There are wards with more voters and some with less electorate.

DMK wanted to regularise the process and not to delay polls, the leader of the opposition said. He also pointed out that the Court struck down the election process last year as the state and SEC failed to conduct polls in a fair manner.