VIRUDHUNAGAR: In its first civic body elections after getting upgraded as a corporation, Sivakasi has favoured the DMK and rumours are now rife over who will be the next mayor.
As the post here was recently reserved for women, K Vignesh Priya (ward 35), I Sangeetha (ward 34), C Suriya (ward 26) and R Renunithila (ward 38) are the frontrunners.
Sivakasi was assigned municipality status in 1921, and after over a century, in 2021, it was upgraded as a corporation. For the first 90 years, the town was a Congress bastion, while the AIADMK held the reins in the last 10 years. However, following a fiercely fought election, the DMK and its allies won 32 out of 48 wards in the corporation this time.
With Nadars in a majority in the town, this could tip the scale in favour of Sangeetha. She is also the wife of T Inbam, who has been associated with the DMK for a long time now.
Requesting anonymity, sources privy to party affairs told The New Indian Express that the Nadar Community Association has already requested the DMK leaders to select a mayor from their community. "Sitting MLA Sivakasi Ashokan also belongs to Nadar community," they added.
Vignesh Priya and Suriya are Mukkulathurs, the second most dominant community in Sivakasi. Suriya is the daughter of Sivakasi Union Secretary M A Chandran.
Meanwhile, Renunithila belongs to Naicker community, and her husband G Ramamoorthi has been working for the DMK for the past 10 years.
Virudhunagar West District Secretary and Minister for Industries Thangam Thennarasu said names of all women who won the polls were sent to the party headquarters and a decision will be taken soon.
When contacted, DMK's Sivakasi Town Secretary and Vignesh Priya's husband RM Kalirajan said his family has been working for the party for the last 40 years.
"My father R Muniyandi was previously the DMK Sivakasi Town Secretary. After I took over, the party has made strides here. During past Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, our party has won with a margin of over 10,000 votes. For the urban local body elections, I was assigned 14 wards, and DMK won in 13 of them. If the party decides to give the mayor post to my wife, she will surely work tirelessly for the people's welfare," he added.