Traitors cost AIADMK city seats: Councillors

Chennai: Traitors within the AIADMK cost the party victory in Chennai district assembly constituencies, according to the ruling party councillors.

At the Greater Chennai Corporation council meet held Monday, city councillors, who competed and lost in the elections, attributed their defeats to turncoat party cadres and biased local body officials.

Ward 110 councillor K. Chandrasekaran, aka ‘Nungai’ Maran, criticised DMK party men for costing AIADMK the Thousand Lights constituency. “The corporation officials, who were on duty as election officials, were working in tandem with DMK party people.

The supplementary roll that the Election Commission presented to us on April 29 featured 8,000 deletions,” he said. Speaking to DC, Ward 110 councillor K. Chandrasekaran, aka ‘Nungai’ Maran,  charged that corporation officials returned undelivered booth slips to the Returning Officer instead of placing it at poll stations. “All these tactics reduced the vote percentage and our victory hopes were spoiled,” he said.

Ward 30 councillor D. Dhakshnamoorthy, who lost to DMK’s S. Sudharsanam in Madhavaram by a margin of 16,000 votes, said betrayers’ within the party cost him his victory. “Fortunately, I still am here as a councillor, thanks to Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (Jayalalithaa),” he said during an open session on the council floor.

Acknowledging that similar complaints has been brought to his notice, Mayor Saidai S. Duraisamy asked all councillors to submit written complaints to the Corporation Commissioner, B. Chandramohan, who was the district election officer during polls. “If found true, there will be strict action against the wrong doers,” Duraisamy said.

Later, speaking to DC, Dhakshnamoorthy named former minister for milk and dairy development, V. Moorthy, who contested and won the Madhavaram seat in 2011, as the ‘black sheep’. Moorthy responded to the allegations stating the councillor lost in all five regions that makes up Madhavaram constituency. “In his own ward, he was trailing by over 1,000 votes. I campaigned extensively for the candidate, but beyond that it is the candidate’s ability to convince voters.”