Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Elections: Voter turnout stood at 60.7 percent.
Chennai:
The ruling DMK is leading the urban local body elections in Tamil Nadu today held after a gap of a decade. The BJP has parted ways with the AIADMK, the main opposition party in the state, and is contesting alone. The results will be seen as a report card on Chief Minister MK Stalin’s performance for nine months.
According to the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission, out of the total 1,374 corporation wards in the state, DMK has won 57 so far and main opposition AIADMK 7 and others 8. DMK’s ally Congress has won 7 and CPI(M) has won 2. Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan’s party MNM is expected to open its account after two electoral defeats.
Voter turnout was 60.7%.
In municipalities (total ward member seats 3,843), DMK has won 248, AIADMK 79 and others 53. With respect to Nagar Panchayats, the AIADMK has won 354 wards and the DMK 1,251.
Urban body elections were held on February 19 and counting of votes began at 8 am at 268 centers in the state.
21 cities, 138 municipalities and 490 nagar panchayats, including the capital Chennai, will elect more than 12,000 members. In the last five years, these bodies did not have elected representatives as elections were not held.
This is the first voting after MK Stalin became the Chief Minister. He is trying for his party’s fourth consecutive victory in these elections. AIADMK is trying to revive after three consecutive electoral defeats.
This time the ruling DMK has raised the national issues of federalism and state autonomy. Chief Minister MK Stalin has also started a federation for social justice to bring together several non-BJP parties from across India.
There are 30,735 polling stations in the state, of which 5,960 have been marked as sensitive. 1.13 lakh security personnel including police and home guards have been deployed.
AIADMK has alleged malpractices in voting. It also hit out at the DMK for not fulfilling its promise of giving Rs 1,000 a month.
The Madras High Court today dismissed the AIADMK’s plea to deploy paramilitary forces for the elections.
The results of voting in Coimbatore will be subject to the court’s decision in the cash-for-vote case, the Madras High Court has ruled.
,