No Surprises as AIADMK Sweeps Bypolls

CHENNAI: The ruling AIADMK on Monday swept the by-elections to 530 local body posts that went to polls in the State recently. Of the 119 local body posts which were contested on party lines, the AIADMK won 101, including key contests such as the mayoral elections in Coimbatore and Tuticorin and in four municipalities — Vriddhachalam, Arakkonam, Ramanathapuram and Cuddalore. Besides, the party nominees have also won in six town panchayats — Sulur, Irugur, Omalur, Sundarapandiapuram, Thirumuruganpoondi and Madathukulam.

Already, the party’s mayoral nominee E Bhuvaneswari for Tirunelveli Corporation, and chairpersons of four municipalities — Coonoor, Pudukkottai, Kodaikanal and Sankarankovil — and the president of Abhiramam Town Panchayat in Ramanathapuram district have been elected unopposed. Social Welfare Minister B Valarmathi said the results show that the State remains the stronghold of the AIADMK led by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Of the 80 urban local body posts for which elections were conducted, the AIADMK won 67. The party nominees have won in all eight wards in three municipal corporations. Similarly, it has won 20 out of 23 municipal wards it contested. The party has also won elections for 27 wards in town panchayats. While the BJP bagged five town panchayat ward member posts, three went to the Congress and independents won two. Independents also won in three municipal wards. In Chennai, David Gunasekaran, AIADMK nominee in Ward No. 35 has been declared elected.

Of the seven district panchayat ward members, six are AIADMK nominees — from Erode, Krishnagiri, Namakkal, Tuticorin, Tirupur and Tiruvannamalai.

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