Chennai: After a decade today, DMK in Tamil Nadu swept maximum votes in local body polls. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam snatched a region reigned that was considered loyal to AIADMK.
The MK Stalin led DMK currently leading in 17 corporations flagged 75 per cent of the seats in western Tamil Nadu, where AIADMk had reigned last year. From a total of 200 wards, DMK won 128, seats while AIADMK took charge of 15, Congress and the saffron party won 9 and 1 seats respectively.
Amongst those who battled to victory were husband and wife Alanganallur Town Panchayat, a mother and a son in Madurai district’s Sozhavandhan Town Panchayat, who Independently from ward 13 and 8 respectively. A transwoman, Ra Ganga won on a DMK ticket from ward 38 of Vellore Municipal Corporation.
Polls were announced last month by the TN State Election Commission for a total of 12,838 ward member posts in 649 urban civic bodies. The 649 urban local bodies are 21 municipal corporations, 138 municipalities and 490 town panchayats. Subsequently, polls for all the 12 wards in Kadambur town panchayat in Thoothukudi district were cancelled for violations.
As many as 57,778 candidates contested for 12,607 posts of ward members in 648 urban local bodies.