Chennai, Jan 30 (IANS): Ahead of the urban body polls, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK supremo MK Stalin declared that party members facing criminal charges will not be given tickets to contest.

In his open letter on Sunday, the DMK president urged the cadre to work for the DMK-led alliance's victory to ensure good governance.

Stalin said that consultations on poll preparation have already been done with the district secretaries, party MPs and MLAs.

Urging partymen to ensure smooth seat-sharing arrangements with allies, Stalin said that after that selection of party candidates must be done meticulously like the army recruitment process.

Targeting the BJP over its allegedly communal politics, Stalin urged his partymen to expose the BJP and its ally, the AIADMK and prevent non-secular forces from striking root in the state.

Polling for urban local body polls will be held on February 19, and voted and counting of votes will take place on February 22.

At stake are 21 corporations, 138 municipalities, and 490 town panchayats of Tamil Nadu.