NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, FEB 22
The ruling DMK led by MK Stalin made a clean sweep in Tamil Nadu, including Singara Chennai in the urban local body elections, which were held last week after nearly 11 years in Tamil Nadu. DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin described the victory as the people’s endorsement of the “Dravidian model of governance.”
As of 8 pm, the party has won the majority of all corporations, municipalities and town panchayats in the state; in Chennai, out of a total of 200 Corporation wards, DMK has won 153. Fifty percent of seats — that is, 100 of the 200 wards in the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) — were reserved for women. Elections were held for 21 corporations (1,374 wards), 138 municipalities (3,843 wards) and 490 town panchayats (7,621 wards) in the state on Saturday, February 19.
- Main Opposition AIADMK remains distant second
- For the first time, BJP makes inroads in Dravidian land
- DMK has won 153 of the total 200 wards in Chennai, AIADMK-15, Congress-13, BJP-1, CPI-1, and CPI(M)-4, TTV Dhinakaran-led AMMK-1, Indian Union Muslim League-1, MDMK-2, and VCK-4, Five independent candidates have also won
The 21 corporations are Avadi, Chennai, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dindigul, Erode, Hosur, Kancheepuram, Karur, Kumbakonam, Madurai, Nagercoil, Salem, Sivakasi, Tambaram, Tiruchirapalli, Tirunelveli, Tiruppur, Thanjavur, Thoothukudi and Vellore.
DMK has won 153 of the total 200 wards in Chennai, followed by the AIADMK in 15 wards, Congress in 13, BJP in one, CPI in one, and CPI (M) in four. TTV Dhinakaran-led AMMK and Indian Union Muslim League have bagged one ward each. MDMK has won two wards, and VCK four. Five independent candidates have also won. In 2011, the AIADMK won 168 councillors while the DMK alliance won 30.
According to reports, 5,794 polling booths were set up in Chennai across 15 zones in the city, and the lowest turnout of 43.59% voters were registered in GCC, of all the 21 corporations that went to polls. In Chennai, the counting of votes took place at one centre in each of the 15 zones.
The nomination process for the polls began on January 28 and filing ended on February 4, and the election took place in a single phase on February 19, from 7 am till 6 pm. The newly elected ward members/councillors will take oath on March 2 and the indirect polls for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor in corporations, and chairman and vice-chairman in municipalities and town panchayats, are scheduled to be held on March 4.
The office of Mayor of Chennai and Tambaram (Chengalpattu district) corporations have been reserved for Scheduled Caste women.
As per late evening trends available for 1,335 of the 1,374 wards in Corporations, the DMK alliance had won / was leading in over a thousand wards. The AIADMK was ahead in just 161 wards and the BJP led in 22 wards.
In Municipalities, of the available indications for 3,842 out of 3,843 wards, the DMK front was ahead in nearly 2,600 wards. The AIADMK had won / led in 638 wards and the BJP in 56 wards.
As for Town Panchayats, of the 7,603 wards out of 7,621 for which leads were available, the DMK alliance had won/led in over 5,000 wards. The AIADMK came second with 1,206 wards and the BJP was ahead in 230 wards.
The biggest victories for the DMK came in the western belt where the AIADMK had managed to hold forte just nine months ago in the Assembly elections. The ruling party humbled the AIADMK in the backward of its co-coordinator and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami when it won in the ward where his house is located.
Likewise, the DMK scores big in south Tamil Nadu, including in Theni district in the backyard of AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam.
The BJP which has been trying hard to find space in Tamil Nadu, opened its account in the Chennai corporation with a lone woman councillor, Uma Anandhan, winning from ward number 134.
The BJP has won 22 wards in the corporations, 56 wards in municipalities and 230 in the town panchayats. The saffron party, which got 1.23 percent votes in the 2011 elections, increased its vote share close to 2 percent in local body polls.
