CHENNAI: Nine months after storming to power in Tamil Nadu, the DMK on Tuesday swept the urban local body elections. It won a majority in all the 21 corporations and came up trumps in a large majority of the 138 municipalities and 489 town panchayats. The new councillors will elect their corporation mayors and chairpersons of municipalities and town panchayats on March 4.
DMK president and chief minister M K Stalin thanked the people and said it was a certificate of good conduct from the people for the nine months of the DMK government and an endorsement of the ‘Dravidian model’ of governance. “I appealed to the people to give victory to our alliance, and told them that we are waiting to serve. The people have given their mandate,” Stalin told reporters amidst jubilant party cadres at Anna Arivalayam.
Stalin, who was elected mayor of Chennai Corporation in 1996 and 2001, this time steered the party to win 153 of the 200 wards in the capital city. Tuesday’s victory was especially sweet for the DMK as it captured the western belt, which was the last fort of the AIADMK in the assembly polls.
Amid allegations of voter bribing, the DMK alliance bulldozed the AIADMK fortress of Coimbatore corporation by winning 96 out of the 100 wards. In a blow to AIADMK heavyweight S P Velumani, DMK won in ward 92 of the city corporation where the former minister lives. The DMK also won Edappadi and Periakulam municipalities, the native places of AIADMK leaders Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam.
The opposition called the DMK’s win an “artificial victory.” AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam said, “This election does not reflect the sentiments of the people.” The AIADMK, which lost two of its alliance partners — the BJP and the PMK — this time, ended up with meagre seats in many of the local bodies.
