SALEM: Having secured a thumping victory in the Assembly elections, the DMK, it appears, is wasting no time in dethroning arch rival AIADMK from local body posts. Sources in the DMK’s Salem district unit said the high command has asked district secretaries to wean away panchayat presidents, union panchayat members, cooperative societies presidents and other local body members from the AIADMK. The party is all set to capture two panchayat unions in the district and more in the next few weeks.
“Former CM Edappadi K Palaniswami is from Salem, so our leadership is keen on weakening the AIADMK in his home turf. His constituency incharge Chelladurai joined DMK recently”, DMK functionaries said. A senior DMK functionary told TNIE, “Though DMK won the Assembly election, we did not score a big win in Salem. Now, the high command wants to root out AIADMK from local bodies.”
Of the 29 district councillor posts in Salem, AIADMK won 18, and its ally PMK won four. The DMK won six seats and DMDK won one. Of the 288 panchayat union councillor posts, the AIADMK alliance won 176, and the DMK alliance won 83. In the indirect elections for panchayat union chairman posts, the AIADMK alliance won all 20 posts with the support of PMK and independent candidates.
In Panchayat Unions like Salem, Gangavalli, Kolathur and Yercaud, DMK lost chairman posts by a small margin. ‘The district secretaries have worked round the clock and are ready to capture 18 panchayat chairman posts. If DMK gets PMK support it would be able to capture all the 20 posts.