SALEM: Barring a few rural pockets in the district, the PMK performed badly in the local body elections. The party lost a deposit in 55 of the total 60 wards in Salem City Municipal Corporation (SCMC). Of the 60 SCMC wards it contested, PMK managed second place in wards 13 and 60 relegating AIADMK to the third spot. In 21 wards it got third place. But in most wards, candidates did not poll even 1,000 votes.
The party fared equally badly in municipalities and town panchayats. In Edanganasalai municipality, out of 27 wards, PMK won eight wards and in Tharamangalam won four wards out of 27 wards. The party could not win a single seat in Mettur, Attur, Edappadi and Narasingapuram Municipalities. What is notable is PMK won in the Mettur assembly segment in 2021. Similarly, out of the 31 town panchayats in Salem, PMK won just 15 wards in eight town panchayats.
The result is a shocker for party functionaries who were hoping to win at least 10 SCMC wards and have a say in who would become the mayor. For, the party has a strong voter base in Tharamangalam, Mettur, Omalur and Salem city. Also, PMK started campaigning much before Dravidian majors launched theirs.
Commenting on the result, PMK's Salem district secretary and MLA R Arul said the party could not stand up to the money power of Dravidian majors. "People feared that the DMK government will boycott the district if they do not vote for them. So in fear, they voted for DMK. From day one, our cadres worked hard to win, but money power has won. This is a temporary setback for the PMK will rise in Salem district again." he added.