Tamil Nadu civic polls: Who will be the Chennai Mayor?

Chennai: Who will be the Chennai Mayor? This is the question that Is be asked in political circles and also among the common people since the DMK had made a clean sweep of the Corporation elections, winning 143 of the total 200 wards.

Even the DMK’s allies have won seats – Congres1 11, CPI 1, CPM 4, MDMK 2, VCK 3 and IUML 1 – which has only strengthened the hands of the ruling party when the opposition’s dismal performance offers it no scope for fielding a rival Mayor or Deputy Mayor candidate when the elections would be held on March 4.

So now the ball is in the DMK high command’s court as it would have to pick a person for the State’s most prestigious local body position, which also has a three century old tradition – the Corporation, the oldest in the country, was set up during British rule.

Since the Mayor post has been reserved for a Scheduled Caste Woman, the DMK leaders are trying to pick a right candidate from among those who had made it in the direct elections to the wards.

Among the names that are being bandied about in the party circles are Sheeba Vasu of Thousand Lights area, Geetha from Royapuram, Priya from Thiru Vi Ka Nagar and Srikani from Kolathur.

With the opposition parties, even if they all unite at the Mayor election, not having the numbers for a fight – AIADMK 15, BJP 1, Independents 5, AMMK 1 – whoever the party choses will become the Mayor and also the Deputy Mayor without a question.

For the Deputy Mayor’s post, too, there is a mad scramble among the party leaders who had won the ward election. One of the names is Chitarasu, though even the selection is left to the party leadership.