Chennai: All the 20 mayoral candidates of the ruling DMK and its ally Congress’ nominee, an autorickshaw driver, on Friday were elected in indirect polls to the top posts in civic bodies in Tamil Nadu and they took charge. While Chennai elected its first Dalit woman mayor in 334 years, Kumbakonam chose an autorickshaw driver.
Indirect polls to elect chairpersons of municipalities and town panchayats, however, witnessed tussles and high drama in several regions while DMK ward members, violating the party’s diktat, defeated nominees of alliance parties in a string of local bodies. It includes posts allotted by the DMK in civic bodies for elected representatives of allies including the CPI(M) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK).
After angered ruling party’s partners cried foul, DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin expressed profound regret to allies and instructed his party ward members who defeated nominees of alliance parties to immediately resign from their posts. Stalin warned them that if they did not quit, they would be expelled from the party’s primary membership.
Priya Rajan is Chennai’s first Dalit woman mayor
Earlier in the day, Priya Rajan, the ruling party’s nominee was elected unopposed and she took charge as Chennai mayor in the presence of state ministers Ma Subramanian, a former mayor, and P K Sekar Babu. The 28-year old woman is the first Dalit person to become the mayor of Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). A postgraduate in commerce, she is also the youngest to assume office as Chennai mayor.
She was administered the oath of office by Principal Secretary and GCC Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi at the Ripon Building. Sekar Babu and Subramanian presented a mace to Priya, the third woman mayor of Chennai and 49th mayor of the corporation. All the 200 councillors elected to the GCC in the recent urban civic polls were administered oath on March 2.
Minister Sekar Babu tweeted saying Rajan’s election as mayor of Chennai is the outcome of the relentless hard work of Chief Minister M K Stalin for people’s welfare in the past nine months. People voted for the DMK in polls to local bodies to ensure good governance in civic bodies as well, he said.
Autorickshaw driver becomes Kumbakonam’s new mayor
In Thanjavur district’s Kumbakonam, Congress nominee K Saravanan, an autorickshaw driver, was elected mayor and he assumed office. He is the first mayor of Kumbakonam corporation. After the government upgraded Kumbakonam municipality to a municipal corporation in December 2021, civic polls were held in February this year. Saravanan was presented a sceptre by a senior official.
Madurai also gets woman mayor
In Madurai, DMK’s Indrani was elected mayor of the temple city and she took charge in the presence of Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan and officials.
(With PTI inputs)
