CHENNAI: The DMK leadership is mulling action against the functionaries responsible for the party losing union councillor seats to rebel candidates in the recently held rural local body polls in nine districts. Even though the party performed well in the polls, it lost many union councillor seats purportedly due to rebel candidates from the party contesting against the official candidate. The party leadership believes the vote split caused by the rebel candidates helped the AIADMK and others win.
According to DMK sources, the party leadership is not fully satisfied with the outcome of the polls to the union councillor posts, and the by-elections held across the State despite the party performing well in the district panchayat councillor posts.
The DMK-led alliance had won 149 seats out of the 151 district councillor wards in the nine districts. However, in the case of the union councillor posts, it managed to bag only 1022 out of the 1415 seats (including the seats where by-elections were held), while the AIADMK alliance won 220 seats, and independents won nearly 90 seats.
Ground-level reports told the party leadership that the district functionaries and union functionaries denied seats to suitable candidates who then went on to contest as rebel candidates. Of the 90 independents who won in the union councillor seats, nearly half were such candidates.
One of the union functionaries of the party in Chengalpattu told TNIE, “Amutha Velmurugan, a DMK functionary in the St Thomas mount union, was denied the party ticket in the 11th ward. She then contested as an independent and won the seat. Hers is not the only case.” The same was echoed by the functionaries of other districts.
With the urban local body elections coming up, the party leadership has decided to set right the issues as the high command wants to reap a 100 percent victory in the polls. The leadership has asked an explanation from the functionaries of the area where its candidates lost in union councillor seats. It is learnt that the party would then send a team to meet the cadre and inquire on why the rebel candidates were denied tickets, before taking any action against the functionaries.
‘Ninety seats won by Independents’
The DMK-led alliance won 1022 out of the 1415 seats (including the seats where by-elections were held), while the AIADMK alliance won 220 seats, and independents won nearly 90 seats