All the four Municipalities in the Ramanathapuram district were swept by the ruling DMK party in the indirect elections held here on Friday.
The district has four Municipalities - Ramanathapuram, Paramakudi, Rameswaram and Keelakarai. While Karmegam was elected as chairman Ramanathapuram, Sethu Karunanidhi (Paramakudi), Nazar Khan (Rameswaram) and Sehanas Abeetha as chairman Keelakarai Municipality.
Sivaganga
In the neighbouring Sivaganga district, out of the four Municipalities, three - Sivaganga, Karaikudi and Manamadurai went in favour of the DMK, while Devakottai Municipality was bagged by the AIADMK with the support of the AMMK councillors.
The officials announced that C M Durai Anand was the chairman of Sivaganga Municipality, S Muthudurai (Karaikudi), Mariappan Kennedy as chairman Manamadurai and in Devakottai K Sundaralingam of the AIADMK got elected as the chairman.
Interestingly, the Returning Officer in Devakottai Municipality had reported sick and hence, expressed inability to conduct the indirect election at the stipulated hour.
As the news spread, uneasy calm prevailed on the campus and among the AIADMK functionaries. They sought intervention of the higher authorities. Sensing trouble, the DMK and the Congress councillors left the hall. The AIADMK councillors threatened to resort to a sit-in stir. When the officials sought time, there was a wordy altercation. However, within about 30 minutes, the Deputy Returning Officer announced the conduct of election and after receiving the nomination, the AIADMK’s candidate K Sundaralingam was declared elected as chairman, following which normality returned.
Out of 27 wards, the DMK and its alliance partner Congress put together polled 11 seats (5 DMK and 6 Congress), while the opposition AIADMK bagged 10 seats, AMMK won from five seats and one ward went in favour of an Independent, thus making it comfortable for the opposition to emerge victorious after the AMMK supported the AIADMK.
THENI
While the Allinagaram Municipality chairman post was allotted to its alliance partner Congress, a DMK ward councillor elect Renupriya managed to file her nomination and was declared winner by the Returning Officer. When the Congress members realised it, they resorted to a road blockade along the Periyakulam Road.
Except for the Allinagaram fiasco, the DMK emerged victorious in all the other Municipalities. For Bodi, Raja Rajeswari was elected chairperson, Chinnamanur: Ayyammal, Cumbum: Vanitha, Gudalur: Padmavathi, Periakulam: Sumitha.
Dindigul
Corporation Mayor elect J Illamathi was sworn in as the first Mayor of the Dindigul Corporation. Accompanied by DMK MLA I P Senthil Kumar among others, the Mayor promised to be accessible to the citizens and work hard towards giving them a clean city.
Offering felicitations, Ministers I Periasami and R Sakkarapani said that the Chief Minister M K Stalin was keen on developing all the cities and Town Panchayats. They said that with polls over, all the councillors should come together and work for the development of Dindigul irrespective of party affiliations.
