Opposition parties on Wednesday condemned the government decision to do away with direct election of mayors in corporations – to begin with the corporations of Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore. At present, the civic body heads are directly elected by the people, but the amendments brought in by the government in the assembly today, the mayors would be elected by the elected councilors.

Government sources admitted that the present system was not working satisfactorily as some of the elected mayors did not enjoy the support of the elected councilors.

A bill, tabled in the assembly by Municipal Administration Minister S P Velumani, proposed amendments to the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act 1919, Madurai City Municipal Corporation Act 1971 and Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation Act 1981.

“The council shall, at its first meeting after each ordinary election to the council, elect one of its councillors to be the Mayor,” said the amendment.

“The Mayor shall hold office for a period of five years from the date of his election and he shall continue as such Mayor, provided that in the meantime he does not cease to be a councillor.”

If the mayor enjoyed majority support of the councilors, the council can function in a better manner, which is why the government has taken the decision, a government source said.

The indirect election to the post of mayor is a better system, the government sources asserted. The government will amend laws relating to municipal corporations suitably to bring about the required changes.

The changes come even as the heat and dust of local polls is heating up across Tamil Nadu. The government decision, came in for severe condemnation of the opposition parties. DMK leader MK Stalin complained that the government side was not allowing them to speak at all on any issue but he chose to reserve his comments on the government decision on mayoral elections.

But the other opposition parties were very vocal and wanted the current system to continue as it would be better to have a directly elected leader as mayor as it would strengthen his position. Said BJP state unit chief, Tamilisai Soundarrajan, the existing system is very much all right, but don’t know why the government had to change it.

If anything , it can trigger horse trading said another opposition leader. Vaiko, was sure that the mayoral elections would only increase corruption and money power in elections, right from the local body level.

Meanwhile, the PWF formation has begun to get unstuck with Captain Vijayakanth’s party, DMDK, announcing that it would go it alone in the civic body polls.

Vaiko said that it was not unusual that at local level, political parties go their own separate ways and nothing should be read into this decision.