Tamil Nadu urban local body polls: Over 12,000 posts across 21 corporations up for grabs

The indirect polls for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the corporations and chairman and vice-chairman in the municipalities and town panchayats will take place on March 4.

Among the 200 wards in the Chennai Corporation, many political parties have provided seats to the kin of former MLAs and other senior leaders in the party. Of the 200 wards, DMK would be contesting in 174 of them while AIADMK has fielded candidates in 198 wards.

V Alexandar, who contested on behalf of AIADMK in the 2021 Assembly polls in Ambattur and lost to DMK’s Joseph Samuel, has thrown his hat in the ring in ward number 89. He is serving as the Tiruvallur South District Secretary.

P Sivakami, a former IAS officer and founder of the Samuga Samathuvapadai Padai Party would be contesting from ward number 99 on behalf of AIADMK. In 2016, she contested on behalf of DMK in the Perambalur constituency and lost to AIADMK’s R Thamizhselvan.

A Dalit activist and writer, Sivakami started her political career by representing the Bahujan Samaj Party before floating her own party in 2009. Former DMK Minister Paruthi Ilamvazhuthi’s son Paruthi Ilamsuruthi has been pitted against her.

Chokkalingam, brother of Tiruvottiyur MLA K P Shankar would be contesting in ward number 5 in the Thiruvottiyur zone.

Three transgender candidates in the fray

Social activist Jayadevi, who will contest on an AIADMK ticket for the councillor’s post from ward number 112 in Teynampet zone, is a transgender and has been a primary member of the party for 15 years. Her family has always been AIADMK loyalists.

Ganga Nayak, a 49-year-old transgender, will contest from ward number 37 of the Vellore Corporation. A resident of old town in Vellore, Ganga has been a member of DMK since 2002. A social activist, Ganga is also serving as the secretary of the South India Transgender Association.

Similarly, Rajamma has been provided a BJP ticket from ward number 76 in the Tiru Vi Ka Nagar zone.

Coimbatore, Thoothukudi, Tiruchirapalli gear up for intense battle

In the Thoothukudi Corporation, Jagan Periyasamy, son of veteran DMK leader late N Periyasamy and brother of Tamil Nadu Minister for Social Justice Geetha Jeevan, is contesting from ward number 20. He is a member of the state general committee.

S P Raja, son of former AIADMK Minister S P Shanmuganathan, would be contesting in the same corporation from ward number 59. Thoothukudi has about 60 wards and as per reports, both of them are eyeing for the Mayor’s post.

After more than four decades, the Coimbatore Corporation is set to welcome its first female Mayor in the upcoming urban local body polls. As the post is allocated for the female candidates, many of the male politicians have nominated their family members to get elected to the top post. One among the top names is that of Sharmila, wife of Chandrasekar, a close associate of former AIADMK minister S P Velumani. She would be contesting on behalf of AIADMK from ward number 38.

In Tiruchirapalli, there are a total of 65 wards. The race for the Mayor’s post has heated up with several heavyweights in the fray. Former Deputy Mayor M Anbazhagan has been provided an opportunity to contest on behalf of DMK in ward 27. On behalf of AIADMK, former minister Vellamandi Natarajan’s son Jawaharlal Nehru will be contesting from ward 20.

In the Thanjavur Corporation, Anjugam Boopathy, who had contested on behalf of DMK in 2016 assembly polls and suffered defeat, will once again be contesting on behalf of DMK for the councillor’s post in ward number 51.

For the first time, Hosur will see the corporation polls. It has a total of 45 wards. Former MLA S A Sathya is contesting on behalf of DMK. In 2019, after AIADMK MLA and former Minister P Balakrishna Reddy was sentenced to three-year rigorous imprisonment in a two-decade-old riot case related to a protest against illicit liquor in Hosur, the post fell vacant.

Sathya contested on behalf of DMK and was elected as an MLA. After his tenure ended in 2021, DMK nominated Y Prakash as their candidate and he managed to win the polls. Sathya will now be contesting from ward number 23.

Family members stake claim in Dindigul

In the Dindigul Corporation, former AIADMK minister Dindigul Srinivasan’s son C S Raj Mohan is contesting on behalf of AIADMK in ward number 4. Pon Muthu, daughter of former Mayor Maruthuraj, is contesting from ward 11.

Interestingly, former Tiruppur AIADMK Mayor Visalatchi’s daughter, a 22-year-old law student, Deepika Appukutty, will be contesting in Tiruppur from ward 55 on behalf of Congress. While Visalatchi continues to be a part of Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK), Deepika is contesting on behalf of her mother’s rival party.

The celebrity candidate

Balamurugan (51), popularly known as ‘Gana Bala’, a folk singer in the Tamil movie industry, is set to contest for the councillor’s post in the Tiru Vi Ka Nagar zone’s ward number 72 in the Pulianthope area as an Independent candidate. He had earlier contested from the same ward in the 2006 and 2011 polls.

The oldest candidate

A 94-year-old social activist, Kamakshi, popularly known as Kamakshi Patti, will be contesting from ward number 174 as an Independent candidate in the Adyar zone. A resident of Besant Nagar, Kamakshi Patti is quite popular in her area for her social work. She hopes to improve the infrastructure in the area if she gets elected.