DMK dominates urban local body polls
The ruling DMK and its allies notched a huge electoral victory in the recently concluded urban civic polls winning over two-thirds of the 12,800 plus ward member posts and bagging all the 21 municipal corporations in Tamil Nadu for which results were declared on Tuesday.
The DMK alliance has won 178 wards in the Greater Chennai Corporation while the AIADMK has won 15 wards.
The DMK has won a majority of 153 councillors which means they are in a position to decide who will be the mayor without the support of alliance partners.
In most of these wards, the victory margins have been in the thousands between the Dravidian majors.
Five independents have won while one each from the AMMK for the BJP have won as well. The NTK and the MNM failed to put on a show in Chennai drawing a blank.
DMK also registered a remarkable victory in Tambaram and Avadi municipal corporations, considered to be the southern and western gateway for Chennai.
Of the total 70 wards in Tambaram, the DMK bagged 54 seats leaving nine seats for the opposition AIADMK. Interestingly, nine independents trounced the Dravidian and other party candidates in closely contested polls.
In Avadi, it was a clean sweep for the ruling DMK securing 43 seats of the 48 wards. The AIADMK had to settle for four seats. One independent candidate won, leaving no room for other parties in Avadi. Dairy development Minister SM Nazar’s son S N Asim Raja won in his maiden contest from ward 4.