AIADMK Sweeps local body bypolls

Chennai: Ruling AIADMK on Monday swept the by-polls to civic bodies, including two corporations, with party chief J. Jayalalithaa terming the voters’ verdict their ‘endorsement’ of her more than three-year-old government’s performance. She also thanked the ministers and party workers for the huge victory. In urban pockets and municipal areas, it was a 100 per cent victory for AIADMK, leaving less than 30 per cent of votes to be shared by the national parties and other Independents.  AIADMK mayoral candidates P Rajkumar (Coimbatore) and Anthony Grace (Thoothukudi) secured more than 70 per cent of the total votes polled.  

For the BJP, it was a severe blow wherever it took on the ruling party with the support of its NDA allies as most of the saffron party candidates lost their deposits.   The ruling AIADMK swept almost 90 per cent of the local body bypolls, results for which were declared on Monday. In urban pockets and municipal areas, it was a 100 per cent victory for AIADMK, leaving less than 30 per cent of votes to be shared by the national parties and other Independents.

For the BJP, it was a severe blow wherever it took on the ruling party with the support of its NDA allies as most of the saffron party candidates lost their deposits. However, a few independent and BJP candidates, who contested for town panchayat ward member posts in Kanyakumari and Thoothukudi districts, emerged victorious as ward members while three Congress candidates also won the byelections.

Following the results, AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa extended her whole-hearted greetings to Tamil Nadu voters and termed the bypoll results a public endorsement of her party having completed three years of good governance. She also thanked the ministers and party workers for the huge victory. In case of vacancies in urban local bodies, of the crucial 80 posts, including the two mayor and four municipal chairman posts, the AIADMK secured 67, leaving five posts each for BJP and the Independents. The Congress secured three town panchayat ward members.

For the Left parties, it was a total rout in the urban local bodies; there was small respite to be had from its Coimbatore mayor candidate C. Padmanaban who managed to secure 5.32 per cent of votes, but forfeited his deposit. In the municipal chairman elections for Vridhachalam, Cuddalore, Ramanathapuram and Arakkonam municipalities, AIADMK candidates trounced their rivals, securing beyond 70 per cent of polled votes, eating into the deposits of other contenders.

An Independent candidate, M. Palanichamy in Namakkal Padaveedu town panchayat ward elections, secured zero votes, forcing counting officials to wonder at his result. State election commissioner Ayyar said that 307 counting centres were set up for the polls which were peaceful and held in a free and fair manner.