TIRUNELVELI: Sankarankoil municipality chairperson G Uma Maheswari allegedly lost her post as 28 out of 29 councillors voted in favour of a no-confidence motion moved against her during a special council meeting on Wednesday.
Sankarankoil municipality comprises 30 wards. Of the councillors, 13 belonged to AIADMK, nine to DMK, two to MDMK, one each from Congress and SDPI, and four are Independent.
In the 2022 urban local body elections, both the DMK and the AIADMK alliances secured 15 seats each. As the contest for the chairperson ended in a tie, Maheshwari of the DMK alliance was elected through a draw of lots.
However, soon after assuming office, Maheswari faced criticism from AIADMK councillors, who accused her of failing to ensure basic civic amenities in their wards and acting in a biased manner. Over time, discontent reportedly grew with the DMK camp as well, with some of her alliance councillors expressing frustration over the lack of development works in their areas.
On this backdrop, 24 councillors submitted a petition to the municipal commissioner demanding a no-confidence motion, 29 councillors participated and 28 of them voted against her on Wednesday, passing the motion successfully.
The municipal administration has asked vice chairman K Kannan of AIADMK to carry out administrative works until a fresh election is held. The DMK had secured this municipality after 15 years.