DMK allies too want direct poll for civic body chiefs
CHENNAI: DMK allies like CPI and MDMK too have jumped on the bandwagon seeking direct election of urban local body chiefs such as town panchayat presidents, municipal chairperson, and mayor. Recently, the CPI State committee adopted a resolution demanding that the State government hold direct polls for the said posts. On why the party made the demand, former CPI MLA N Periyasamy said it would make civic body chiefs responsible to all the voters.
“If they are elected indirectly by councillors, people will have a weaker hold on them. Moreover, the chiefs will always have to please the councillors who elected them,” he said, adding that indirect election would also lead to horse-trading.
A political leader from another left party said indirect elections of urban local body chiefs would help only the Dravidian majors, especially the ruling party. “If a direct election is held, alliance partners of the DMK would get to compete for a few municipal chairperson and town panchayat president posts. In the indirect election, however, the alliance partners hardly get any top posts,” he said.
It may be noted that, in the 2011 local body elections, one Dhanalakshmi Durai of the MDMK was elected president of the Keeramangalam town panchayat in Pudukkottai, despite her party bagging just one of the 15 town panchayat wards. In the same polls, one R Paulraj of Congress was elected president of the Keeranur town panchayat, despite his party getting only three of 15 wards. In both cases, the parties contested alone. They were able to get the top posts only because their influential leaders were in the fray for the top post.
Other smaller parties like the CPI and the CPM, and independents too managed to bag a few top posts such as town panchayat presidents in the 2011 local body election, when direct election was held to the posts.
Independent candidates too get a shot
A municipal chairperson who won the post as an Independent in 2001, said, “I was elected despite competition from the DMK and the AIADMK because the people had faith in me. But, if it had been an indirect election, I would have been able to get elected only as a councillor, not as a chairman”