Chennai: With the ruling DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance in Tamilnadu securing a landslide victory having won a majority of the wards in the urban local bodies, the party is now facing a rush among winners for top civic posts including Mayors, Municipal Chairman and Town Panchayat Presidents.
Also, allies like the Congress and the VCK too are said to be demanding civic chief posts from the DMK.
According to sources, the high command has decided to select those with ‘clean image’ for Mayor and other posts after a clear background check.
The DMK’s resounding victory was seen as people’s endorsement to the good governance and various welfare schemes launched by it in its nine month rule, a fact echoed by DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin.
Talking to reporters after the party’s resounding success in the polls, Stalin said the victory was a good conduct certificate given by the people for the nine month olong DMK rule.
‘It is a recognition given by the people for the Dravidian model of governance’, Stalin said, adding, the DMK government would protect the confidence reposed on the government.
He also said the DMK has made inroads in Western Tamilnadu which is considered an AIADMK bastion where it won a large chunk of seats in the Kongu region.
He also thanked the people for voting for the candidates of the DMK-led Front and ensuring a landslide victory.
As the counting of votes began at 8 am Tuesday in 268 counting centres across the State, the DMK had a clear edge over its arch-rival Opposition AIADMK having established leads in a majority of seats.
As the counting progressed, the lead kept swelling with every passing round and eventually it turned out to be a one-horse race, with the DMK and its allies emerging a clear winner, pushing AIADMK to a distant second.
Scores of party workers, including women, thronged the DMK headquarters ‘Anna Arivalayam’ in the city and celebrated the victory by bursting crackers, distributing sweets and dancing to the beating of drums, hailing the leadership of Stalin.
Senior party leaders, MPs and Ministers visited Stalin’s camp office and congratulated him for leading the party to a thumping win in the polls. They also presented shawls to him.
The DMK-led Front, which had won the May 2021 Assembly polls with a comfortable majority and returned to power after a gap of ten years in the company of Congress, MDMK, VCK, CPI, CPI(M), TVK, MMK and other minor parties, repeated the success story as their nominees won in a majority of the wards in Corporations, Municipalities and Town Panchayats.