MADURAI: The Madurai corporation will convene a special meeting of the council on Friday to accept the resignation of mayor Indirani Ponvasanth. The names of S Vasuki and A Saravana Bhuvaneshwari, who resigned as zonal chairpersons after the property tax scam broke out, besides a few more councillors are doing the rounds as possible replacement for Indirani.
DMK sources said Vasuki had been considered for the post before Indirani was elected. The DMK has a majority of more than 70 councillors in the 100-member council and the candidate chosen by the high command can win comfortably if an election is held. “The date for the mayor election is likely to be announced on Friday, or the council meeting will end after accepting Indirani’s resignation,” the source said.
A former mayor, seeking anonymity, said Indirani should have stepped down as soon as the scam came to light. “ This is the first time in the history of the corporation that a mayor’s spouse has been arrested in connection with a scam and resulted in the resignation of the mayor. Indirani should have identified the issue earlier and resolved it before it became a scam. The scam shows her failure as mayor.” AIADMK floor leader Solai M Raja said Indirani’s resignation was a victory for the party.
