TIRUCHY/PUDUKKOTTAI/KARUR/KUMBAKONAM/NAGAPATTINAM/MAYILADUTHURAI: Urban local body offices that wore deserted look for the past five years was buzzing with activity on Wednesday as councillors took oath.
Hundreds of supporters of the newly-elected councillors swarmed the Tiruchy Corporation office for the oath-taking ceremony, which was held in the council hall.
As many as 65 councillors were sworn in, and took the pledge. Commissioner PMN Mujibur Rahuman administered the oath.Councillors of the Left parties and the DMK, including the probable mayoral candidate Mu Anbalagan, took oath in the name of conscience. Tiruchy East MLA Inigo Irudayaraj and Srirangam MLA M Palaniyandi were present.CPI councillor from ward 23 came to the venue on a bicycle. He said bicycle was comfortable for him to travel through the narrow streets of his ward and meet residents.
When councillors emerged from the Corporation building after the ceremony, their supporters greeted them with slogans, garlands and shawls.
Similarly, councillors of 5 municipalities and 14 town panchayats in Tiruchy also took charge.
In Pudukkottai, all 189 members took oath. Members elected to municipalities of Pudukkottai and Aranthangi took oath, while 120 councilors elected to the eight town panchayats also took oath. As many as 42 ward members in Pudukkottai municipality and 27 in Aranthangi were also sworn in.
There was palpable tension in Annavasal town panchayat in Pudukkottai. Of the eight town panchayats in Pudukkottai, DMK won in seven, while AIADMK won in Annavasal. While the six DMK councillors took oath in the morning, AIADMK councilors came to take oath only at 1:30 PM. They came with tight security amid allegations that they were 'kidnapped'. These councillors had filed a petition in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, seeking protection. They said they were afraid that the DMK might indulge in horse-trading. After they left, DMK sources said that one of their councillors, Vishwanathan was missing, and that he had been kidnapped by the AIADMK. They staged a protest in the evening in front of the Annavasal town panchayat office and filed a complaint with the police.
A total of 48 councillors in the Karur City Municipal Corporation (KCMC) took oath. They were administered the oath by KCMC Commissioner Ravichandran.
Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise V Senthil Balaji, who is also DMK's Karur district in charge, took part in the ceremony.
In Thanjavur, all the 51 members elected to the Corporation council took oath. K Saravanakumar, Commissioner, administered the oath.
In Kumbakonam, 45 of the 48 members took oath in the morning. Senthilmurugan, Commissioner of City Corporation, administered the oath. In the afternoon, three members of AIADMK took oath in the office of the Commissioner. Councillors of 2 municipalities and 20 town panchayats in Thanjavur district also took oath. In the some town panchayats, members were brought to oath taking ceremonies in separate vans by the party office-bearers, allegedly to prevent horsetrading.
Thittacherri candidate joins DMK
In Nagapattinam district, the most eventful scene was at Thittacherri town panchayat. An AIADMK ward councillor shifted to DMK camp in Thittacheri town panchayat. The chances of DMK getting a majority in the town panchayat increased.
The town panchayat consists of 15 wards. Independent candidates had won eight. DMK and its allies had won six and AIADMK had won one. On Wednesday, the lone winner from AIADMK, K Kasthuri, joined the DMK camp. Kasthuri contested from ward 14 which was reserved for Scheduled Caste woman. She defeated a DMK candidate, K Madharasi, and won by a difference of 18 votes in that ward. Kasthuri joined the DMK camp hours after taking the oath. The DMK party members and other elected DMK councillors welcomed K Kasthuri into their camp. The independents still hold the key in electing the chairperson of Thittacheri town panchayat. However, DMK is likely to win the town panchayat.
As many as 36 ward councilors took oath at Nagapattinam municipality, while 21 ward councilors took oath at Vedaranyam municipality. 15 ward councilors each took oaths at the town panchayats of Thittacherri, Kilvelur, Velankanni and Thalaignayiru.
In Mayiladuthurai district, the municipality consists of 36 wards. On Wednesday, 35 elected ward councillors were sworn in. The councillor of ward 19 is yet to be elected after the election for that ward was postponed following the death of a candidate. In Sirkazhi municipality, all 24 elected councillors sworn in. Also, ward councillors took oath at the town panchayats of Kuthalam, Manalmedu, Vaitheeswarankoil and Tharangambadi.