Image Courtesy:aninews.in
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) swept the state’s Urban Civic Polls on Monday. As soon as the landslide win looked within reach, the CM thanked the people. Even before that, as it became clear that the DMK-led alliance was headed for a landslide victory, party workers began celebrating across the state.
“I thank the people of Tamil Nadu for this victory. This is a certificate for the nine months of good governance. This is the recognition of the Dravidian model. We are fulfilling the promises. We are always prepared to uphold the belief people have in us,” the CM was quoted as saying as the DMK maintained a strong lead in all 21 corporations. The AIADMK is at a distant second.
செய்தியாளர் சந்திப்பு (22/02/2022): https://t.co/VUORcOsXs6
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) February 22, 2022
According to news reports, the DMK independently won the Greater Chennai Corporation with 104 ward councillors as counting for 131 wards of the total 200 wards were completed at 4 P.M on Tuesday. Here the AIADMK has won 12 seats while INC won 7. Three Independent candidates also won, reported Indian Express, while the CPI (M) and MSMK have won 2 each while CPI has won one.
The election was held on February 19, in over 12,500 wards across 21 corporations, 138 municipalities and 489 town panchayats. Around 2,400 officials and 7,200 police personnel from the Greater Chennai, Avadi and Tambaram commissionerate were deployed during the counting of votes for the urban local body polls Tuesday, reported Indian Express. According to the last report, as counting was still underway, DMK had claimed victory in 50 out of 60 wards in Thoothukudi while it captured the six municipalities in Theni district. is also leading in AIADMK bastion Coimbatore. Meanwhile, in Chennai Corporation, of the total 200 wards, results have been announced for 124. DMK has won 97, AIADMK 12, INC 7. Three Independent candidates have secured victory. CPI (M) and MSMK have won 2 each while CPI has won 1. The AIADMK is at a distant second and was leading in 9 wards in corporations, 90 wards in municipalities, 385 wards in town panchayats. Meanwhile, Congress is leading in 7 wards in municipalities, 19 wards in municipalities, 77 wards in town panchayats and the BJP leads in 1 ward in corporations, 4 in municipalities, 29 in town panchayats.
According to a report in NDTV, the DMK won 75 percent of the seats in western Tamil Nadu, a region that was once considered loyal to the opposition AIADMK where it had swept assembly polls last year. The win comes after Stalin’s nine months as Chief Minister and according to NDTV, the “party had been focusing on the western parts of the state since the state election results”. Tamil Nadu had registered a poll percentage of 60.70 per cent in the February 19 urban local bodies election. The local body polls in Tamil Nadu were held after more than a decade.
Lessons from #UrbanLocalBodyElection
1. No significant anti incumbency against DMK Govt.
2. Alliance almost always beats non alliance
3. BJP கொஞ்சம் உள்ள வந்துருச்சு (BJP has made its presence felt)
4. Likes of MNM, NTK,DMDK etc, being squeezed out.— Sumanth Raman (@sumanthraman) February 22, 2022
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cadres began ‘celebrating’ its distant ‘third’ position online, however BJP that had decided to contest the polls alone after dropping its ally AIADMK has not had much of an impact. Interestingly a BJP candidate Narendran, who contested from ward 11 in Bhavanisagar of Erode, secured just a single vote, stated news reports. When the counting of votes ended, Narendran discovered only he had voted for himself, and no one else including his friends, family and party workers voted for him. Narendra was defeated by a DMK candidate who secured 84 out of the total 162 votes polled. Till evening figures, the DMK and its allies were leading in all 21 corporations with AIADMK at a distant second.
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