Tamil Nadu Assembly election: Residents threaten to boycott poll over NOC issue in Erode

Tension prevailed for a brief period at Subramaniya Nagar in Ward 50 under the Erode (West) Assembly constituency on Monday (March 16, 2025) morning after residents gathered and announced that they would boycott the upcoming Assembly election.

The locality has over 300 residential plots. Residents said the plots were purchased between 1972 and 1994 and houses were constructed by them. However, in 2017, the Tamil Nadu Housing Board issued a notice through the Registration Department claiming that the land belonged to it, following which the properties could not be sold.

They said they had been demanding the issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to enable the sale of the plots. Though representations had been submitted to the authorities earlier, the issue remained unresolved, they alleged.

Frustrated over the delay, residents assembled in the area holding placards and raised slogans demanding that the NOC be issued immediately. They also warned that they would boycott the forthcoming election if their demand was not met.

On receiving information, police officials held talks with the residents. They informed them that the election schedule had already been announced and the Model Code of Conduct was in force, and that gathering for protests was not appropriate at this time. The police assured the residents that their grievance would be addressed.

Following the assurance that steps would be taken to resolve the NOC issue, the residents temporarily withdrew the protest and dispersed.