CHENNAI: DMK juggernaut decimated the Opposition AIADMK in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, with its Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) scoring a perfect centum by winning 21 of 21 corporations in the urban local body polls held on February 19. The DMK-led front also crossed the simple-majority mark of 50 per cent seats in 130 out of 138 municipalities and 350 out of 489 town panchayats. In the last civic polls held in 2011, the then ruling AIADMK had won all 10 then-existing corporations.
Ecstatic DMK cadres and functionaries thronged Anna Arivalayam, the party’s headquarters in Chennai, bursting crackers and distributing sweets to passersby. Slogans hailing Chief Minister MK Stalin and the late party chief M Karunanidhi rent the air. Significantly, the DMK alliance has unseated the AIADMK in its traditional stronghold of western TN where it had lost all 10 Assembly seats in 2021. Observers attributed DMK’s success to a good public response to government’s performance.
Addressing reporters, Stalin, whose campaign had highlighted the party’s stance on national issues, said the outcome of the elections was a testament to the Dravidian model of governance adopted by the government over the last nine months. “We are not arrogant because of the victory. I realise that my responsibility has gone up. I will work hard to protect the faith people reposed in me,” Stalin said.
Of the 1,373 wards in 21 corporations, results were available for 1,367 as of 9 pm. While the DMK alliance won in 1,100 wards, the AIADMK won in 164. In the 3,824 wards across 138 municipalities, the ruling alliance won in 2,666 or 70 per cent of the wards and is expected to secure 110 to 120 of the chairperson posts. Similarly, candidates of the alliance won 5,009 (65 per cent) town panchayat ward member posts of the 7,621 for which results were declared at 9 pm.
The AIADMK won in 368 and 1,206 wards in municipalities and town panchayats respectively. The BJP, which contested alone, won in 16 Corporation wards, 56 municipality wards and 230 town panchayat wards.
‘DMK’s win reflects govt’s performance’
The DMK’s victory in Theni and Ramanathapuram districts too assumed significance as these districts have usually favoured the AIADMK during Assembly elections. The DMK also won the Nagercoil Corporation in Kanniyakumari, one of the few districts in which the BJP has a base. Political editor of Minnambalam, Ara, told TNIE the results indicated the faith of voters in Stalin.
“At the same time, the responsibility of the DMK government has increased manifold. Public expectation will be greater now and it may difficult for the party to live up to it,” he said. Veteran journalist D Karthick is of the view that the results were more the defeat of AIADMK and BJP than the victory of the DMK.“Despite having several issues to raise, AIADMK only spoke about the DMK government‘ s failure on NEET while the BJP raised only issues of religion.
Hence, they both faced a crushing defeat which translated into a landslide victory for the DMK,” he said. He also pointed out that DMK fared well in the rural local body elections in 2019 while in opposition. DMK’s propaganda secretary T Sabapathy Mohan, claimed the victory was an acknowledgement of the government’s performance during the pandemic and the rain-induced floods.
“Besides, voters didn’t like the low-quality campaign of the AIADMK claiming the state government will fall when ‘One Nation One Election’ is implemented and did not accept BJP’s divisive politics.”
Short bytes
The DMK-led front crossed the simple-majority mark of 50% seats in 130 municipalities and 350 town panchayats
Uma Anandan of the BJP was elected in Ward 134 of Chennai Corporation. In a viral video she praised Nathuram Godse
DMK candidate U Mohamed Yasin won in Ward 8 of Melur municipality where a BJP booth agent took issue with a Muslim woman voting while wearing a hijab
DMK won in Thirukkattupalli and Thiruvaiyaur in Thanjavur district where a school girl died by suicide and the BJP alleged a forced conversion attempt was trigger
