CHENNAI: Just months after assuming power at Fort St George, it seems the ruling DMK has managed to keep peoples’ faith in it alive, with the party sweeping the recently concluded rural local body elections in Tamil Nadu. The declared results and lead trends available as of 11.30 pm on Tuesday are indicative of the same. On the other hand, the AIADMK, which is set to celebrate 50 years of its inception soon, has failed to put up a decent show.
Of the 140 district panchayat ward member posts in the nine districts where polls were held, the DMK has won/leads in 99 posts while the AIADMK leads in only five. The PMK, which fought the election alone, leads in just one post. All the other parties have drawn a blank. According to the trend, the DMK is set to capture all the nine district panchayats.
Similarly, of the 1,381 panchayat union ward member posts, the DMK has won/leads in 514 posts; the AIADMK in 83; PMK in 21; AMMK in three; DMDK in one, and others have won/leads in 46 posts. Interestingly, functionaries of the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, comprising fans of actor Vijay, have won 45 posts in nine districts.
Meanwhile, a candidate, Vardaraj, was elected the president of the Nelli village panchayat in Chengalpattu district by a draw of lots after he and his opponent, Kumarasamy, secured 385 votes each. R Kadalmani won the president’s post in Sirumaruthur of Tiruchy district by just one vote, beating his rival, R Kanniammal.
D Karthik, a BJP functionary who contested as an independent for village panchayat ward member post at Kurudampalayam in Coimbatore district, secured only one vote, triggering social media trolling against the saffron party. Meanwhile, even as results were being declared, horse-trading had begun for the posts of panchayat union chairman and village panchayat vice-president in Tenkasi district.
Earlier in the day, the Madras High Court expressed confidence that the State Election Commission (SEC) will take steps to conduct the counting process in an appropriate manner. A two-judge bench also directed the SEC to respond within two weeks to a petition, seeking directions to videograph the process.