NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, MARCH 4
All the 20 mayoral candidates of the ruling DMK and its ally Congress’ nominee, an autorickshaw driver, on Friday were elected in indirect polls to the top posts in civic bodies in Tamil Nadu and they took charge. Priya Rajan, the ruling party’s nominee was elected unopposed and she took charge as Chennai mayor in the presence of state ministers Ma Subramanian, a former mayor, and P K Sekar Babu.
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The 28-year old woman is the first Dalit person to become the mayor of Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).
A postgraduate in commerce, she is also the youngest to assume office as Chennai mayor.
She was administered the oath of office by Principal Secretary and GCC Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi at the Ripon Building.
Sekar Babu and Subramanian presented a mace to R Priya, the third woman mayor of Chennai and 49th mayor of the corporation. All the 200 councillors elected to the GCC in the recent urban civic polls were administered oath on March 2.
In Thanjavur district’s Kumbakonam, Congress nominee K Saravanan, an autorickshaw driver, was elected mayor and he assumed office. He is the first mayor of Kumbakonam corporation. After the government upgraded Kumbakonam municipality to a municipal corporation in December 2021, civic polls were held in February this year. Saravanan was presented a sceptre by a senior official.
In Madurai, DMK’s nominee Indrani was elected mayor of the temple city and she took charge in the presence of Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan and officials.
மாண்புமிகு முதலமைச்சர், கழகத் தலைவர் @mkstalin அவர்களின் 9 மாதகால அயராத உழைப்பிற்கு மக்கள் அளித்த நற்சான்றாக, உள்ளாட்சியிலும் நல்லாட்சி தொடர்ந்திட பெருநகர சென்னை மாநகராட்சியின் புதிய மேயராக பொறுப்பேற்றுக் கொண்ட திருமதி.பிரியா ராஜன் அவர்களின் மக்கள் பணி சிறக்க வாழ்த்துகள். pic.twitter.com/raMnPOaX98
— P.K. Sekar Babu (@PKSekarbabu) March 4, 2022
Minister Sekar Babu tweeted saying Rajan’s election as mayor of Chennai is the outcome of the relentless hardwork of Chief Minister M K Stalin for people’s welfare in the past nine months. People voted for the DMK in polls to local bodies to ensure good governance in civic bodies as well, he said.
Indirect polls to elect chairpersons of municipalities and town panchayats witnessed tussles in several regions amid allegations that the DMK ward members defeated official nominees of alliance parties, like the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, in some local bodies.
VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan in a tweet urged DMK president and Chief Minister Stalin to guard “coalition dharma” by directing DMK candidates, who won in local bodies earmarked for allies, to tender their resignations. The VCK leader also thanked Stalin for the successful election of his party’s nominees in Jayamkondam municipality and Pennadam town panchayat.
