DMK sweeps TN urban body polls, wins AIADMK bastions like Edappadi

The DMK-led alliance on Tuesday swept the urban local body elections in Tamil Nadu with 75 per cent of the results declared.

The urban polls were held in the state after a gap of 11 years and the win of the DMK is considered as a stamp of approval for the nine-month-old M.K. Stalin government in the state.

The dismal performance of the AIADMK was reflected with the party losing its bastions and the DMK winning several seats in western Tamil Nadu including Coimbatore, Erode and Salem. In Edappadi, the home constituency of former Chief Minister K. Palaniswami too, the AIADMK candidate lost the polls to the DMK.

Palaniswami's own ward no 23 in Salem Municipal Corporation was also wrested by the DMK leading to a major loss of face for the former Chief Minister who is also the Leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu.

According to the State Election Commission till the late afternoon, the DMK alliance won 494 seats in corporations, 2,021 in municipalities, and 4,619 seats in town panchayats.

The AIADMK, on the other hand won only 81 wards in corporations, 511 in municipalities, and 1,188 seats in town panchayats.

The BJP, which contested alone, won 255 wards - 7 in corporations, 113 seats in municipalities, and 135 seats in town panchayats.

Five candidates supported by Vijay Makkal Iyyakam, the fans association of superstar Vijay, won in corporation wards, including 3 in Chennai.

Transgender candidate, R. Ganga of the DMK, won from the Vellore Municipal corporation by a margin of 15 votes. This is the first time a transgender candidate has won from the DMK in urban local body polls.

Three candidates, including an AIADMK candidate, got only zero votes in Karambukudi panchayat in Pudukottai district even though all three had votes in the same constituency.

--IANS

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