CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin has told his partymen to ensure a “100 per cent victory” for the ruling DMK in the upcoming rural local body polls, which will be held in nine districts of the State. One of his main instructions to party functionaries at a recent meeting was to identify and field only clean candidates.
The State Election Commission (SEC) is expected to notify polls for the rural local bodies in a few days. These nine districts were left out when the elections to rural local bodies were conducted during the AIADMK regime. This was due to legal issues pertaining to the creation of new districts.
With the DMK now in power in the State, a victory in the polls would serve as an endorsement of its governance by the people. A DMK functionary who attended the meeting chaired by Stalin said, “The CM is keen on a sweep, especially because the opposition parties are in a bad shape and are facing many cases. The DMK government has also introduced many welfare schemes, especially free bus rides for women.”
It is learnt that Stalin told his partymen that though they won the recent Assembly elections, they lost in many places due to the wrong choice of candidates. Despite the anti-incumbency factor, the party did not meet the expectations of a total sweep. “He emphasised fielding candidates who enjoy the goodwill of the people in the locality. Since the margin of victory in the local body polls is low, he stressed that candidates with bad records could spoil the party’s chances,” said another DMK functionary.
Following Stalin’s instructions, party leaders in the nine districts going to the polls are now shortlisting candidates. A few second-rung leaders who lost in the recent Assembly polls were promised prestigious posts in the rural local bodies if they ensure the victory of all party candidates in their regions.
Districts going to polls