COIMBATORE: Unlike other CCMC wards, the contest in ward 38 will be keenly watched as mayor aspirants from DMK and AIADMK are locking horns. The AIADMK has fielded Sharmila Chandrasekar against Amirthvalli Shanmugam of the DMK. Chandrasekar and Shanmuagam are popular faces in the locality.
Ward 38 is in the Coimbatore North Assembly segment which was won by AIADMK's Amman K Arjunan in 2021. Savithiri Parthiban of AIADMK was elected councillor in 2011. The party is going all out to retain the ward. Sharmila is seeking votes citing the schemes implemented by former Minister SP Velumani.
On the DMK front, supporters of VM Shanmugasundaram, who lost to Arjunan by 4001 votes, started preparations for local body polls immediately after the party captured power.
DMK workers started a Whatsapp group to receive complaints from the public on civic issues and have been sanitation workers to clear garbage and contractors to rectify faulty street lights.
The preparations gathered momentum after EB Minister Senthil Balaji allegedly assured Shanmugasundaram to recommend Amirthavalli as mayor candidate.
Shanmugasundaram served as president of Vadavalli panchayat for fifteen years and Amirthavalli was president for five years before Vadavalli was annexed with the city.
Drinking water supply and solid waste management are the pressing issues that need to be addressed. S Dhanabakiyam, a resident of Bommanampalayam, said, "We are supplied water once in seven to eight days. It will be helpful if the new councillors take steps to supply drinking water once in four days. Likewise, better roads should be laid."
Sharmila said she is confident of victory as the previous AIADMK government fulfilled all its poll promises and provided basic amenities.
Shanmugasundaram said people are not getting water as the Kavundampalayam- Vadavalli and Veerakeralam drinking water project was not implemented properly by the AIADMK regime. The project was commenced during the DMK period. However it was implemented in haste during the AIADMK regime, he alleged.
Fact file
There are 18,406 eligible voters in the ward, including 9183 male and 9222 female voters. Okkalikka Gouders are in significant numbers in the ward followed by Arunthathiyar, Kurumba, Gounder, Brahmins, Gounder, Boyar and a few minorities.