THOOTHUKUDI: After over a year-long political drama, U Brammasakthi was elected unopposed as the chairperson for the district panchayat on Tuesday. Brammasakthi, the DMK councillor for district ward 16, had filed nomination papers for the chairperson post after it fell vacant when a no-confidence motion was moved against the previous chairperson, Sathya of Kovilpatti.
With no one else entering the fray, District Collector Dr K Senthil Raj declared her the unopposed winner and offered her a congratulatory bouquet in the presence of Ottapidaram MLA MC Shanmugaiah. Brammasakthi is the wife of DMK State student wing deputy organiser Umari Sankar.
The district panchayat comprises 17 district wards and as many as 15 councillors support the DMK. It may be recalled that when the local body election results were declared in 2020, the AIADMK had 12 councillors and DMK only five, in the district panchayat. Sathya was subsequently elected the chairperson. When the DMK won the Assembly polls in 2021, the AIADMK councillors shifted their allegiance to the ruling party, and earlier this year moved a no-confidence motion against Sathya.