TN urban local body polls: Trends point to landslide victory for DMK

The DMK is leading in 132 of the total 138 municipalities. It has so far won 987 seats, while the AIADMK has won 265, Congress 63 and BJP 24. The CPI managed to secure nine seats, CPI(M) 20 and the DMDK five seats. Other candidates have emerged victorious in 64 seats.

Among town panchayats, the DMK is leading in 391 of the total 489 bodies. It has won in 3,478 seats, whereas the AIADMK is a distant second with 957 wins, while the Congress has won in 225 seats, BJP 100, CPI(M) 54, CPI 17 and the DMDK bagged 14 seats. Other candidates won in 984 seats.

Several municipalities were completely swept off by the DMK and its alliance partners. For instance, all six municipalities in Tiruppur were won by candidates of the DMK-led alliance. In Valparai municipality, the DMK won in 19 of the total 21 wards. The AIADMK and an Independent candidate managed to win one each. Similarly, in Pollachi municipality, the DMK won 31 of the 36 wards.

Among town panchayats, the DMK is leading in 391 of the total 489 bodies. (Express Photo)

On the whole, Chief Minister M K Stalin’s party is comfortably leading in all seven municipalities in Coimbatore district, including Pollachi, Valparai, Mettupalayam, Karamadai, Karumathampatti, Madukkarai and Gudalur. Other areas considered AIADMK strongholds, like Theni and Salem, were also won by DMK cadres. For the first time, the DMK managed to capture the Virudhunagar municipality by winning 20 of the total 36 wards. Its ally Congress won eight while the AIADMK secured three seats.

DMK candidate U Mohamed Yasin has won in ward 8 of Melur municipality in Madurai where voting was disrupted briefly after a BJP booth agent protested against a woman wearing the hijab while casting her vote. The BJP candidate in this ward lost his deposit.

Actor Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam has not managed any win so far, while Seeman’s Naam Tamizhar Katchi has won six seats in town panchayats, including five in Kanyakumari district and one in Tenkasi.

Actor Vijay’s Makkal Iyakkam, which exhibited a brilliant performance in the local rural body polls in 2019, managed to win seats in Pudukkotai municipality, Walajapet municipality in Ranipet district, and Kumarapalayam municipality in Namakkal district.

Ganga Nayak, a 49-year-old transgender, has won from ward 37 of Vellore corporation. Ganga had contested on behalf of the DMK.

Young candidates secured victories in several seats. At Thuvakudi municipality in Tiruchirapalli, 22-year-old independent candidate Sneha managed to win the polls in ward 5 by securing 494 votes. In Chennai’s ward 136, which comes under Kodambakkam zone, Nilavarasi Durairaj (22) who contested for the DMK emerged victorious. In Hosur corporation, DMK candidate and law student Yasaswani (22) won in ward 13 with 1,146 votes.

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