SIVAGANGA: Except in Devakottai municipality, DMK candidates will be the chairpersons of 11 town panchayats and three municipalities in the district. Sources said the party has finalized the names of their chairmanship candidates but is uncertain about the vice-chairman candidates.
DMK and its alliance won 172 wards in the urban local body held for 285 posts in the district. Of this, DMK won in 144 wards, INC in 26, CPI and VCK each in 1. After securing this clear majority, the DMK has finalised the candidates for the posts of chairpersons.
It will be Durai Anand for Sivaganga municipality, Gunasekaran for Karaikudi and former MLA Mariyappan Kennady for Manamadurai municipality.
Likewise, it will be Karthika for Nattarasankottai, Sengai Maran for Thirupuvanam, Rathika for Kanadukathan, Piramiah for Kandanur, Karthik Solai for Kottaiyur, Santhi for Pallathur, Mohammed Meeran for Puduvayal, Pusalan for Nerkuppai and Ambalamuthu for Singampunari.
In Ilayangudi, either Syed Jamima or Ibrahim will be selected and in Thirupattur either Rajeswari or Gokilarani will be selected.
"Except in Thirupattur and Ilayangudi town panchayats, chairman candidates have been finalized in the rest. However the candidates for the posts of vice-chairman are yet to be finalized," said DMK sources.
In Devakottai municipality, the DMK won in 5, Congress won in 6, AIADMK in 10, AMMK in 5 and independent in 1.
This is the only place (either in town panchayat or municipality) where the INC candidates won in six (more than DMK). However, both AIADMK and AMMK candidates have joined hands against DMK to ensure AIADMK candidate Sundaralingam selection as chairperson here. Meanwhile, one of the AMMK candidates will be the vice-chairman from the municipality.
The first meeting of the elected ward members will be on March 2. The election of chairman and vice-chairman will be on March 4