Hectic lobbying on for posts for Deputy Mayor, zonal chairpersons

With the DMK gaining a comfortable majority by itself in the Tiruchi Corporation, hectic lobbying is under way in the party for positions such as the deputy mayor and zonal chairpersons.

The party is poised to occupy the Mayor’s post for the first time since the erstwhile Tiruchi municipality was upgraded as Corporation in 1994. DMK leaders, led by party’s principal secretary and Minister for Municipal Administration K.N.Nehru, are keen to ensure that the DMK, which has never occupied the position so far, took over the chair this time as the party has secured an absolute majority by itself. The DMK has 49 councillors in the 65-member council and its allies have 10 – the Congress five, the MDMK two, and the CPI, the CPI (M) and the VCK one each. The AIADMK has just three councillors and he AMMK one, besides two Independents.

Former Deputy Mayor M. Anbazhagan, who has been elected for the fifth time as councillor, appears a clean favourite to be the Mayoral candidate of the party. A long time supporter of Mr. Nehru, Mr.Anbazhagan was strong contender even in 2006 but had give in to alliance compulsions then. Party leaders and Mr.Anbazhagan have been maintaining that it is for the party leadership to decide the Mayoral candidate and as well as other positions.

Nevertheless, sources concede that hectic lobbying is under way among the party councillors for the deputy mayor’s post. M.Mathivanan, considered a supporter of Minister for School Education, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, besides T. Muthuselvam and Vijaya Jayaraj are among the keen contenders. Some of the Congress councillors, including former Mayor S. Sujatha, a supporter of former Union Minister P. Chidambaram, are also seeking to lay claim to the post, sources in the alliance say. Senior councillors of the DMK are lobbying hard for cornering the posts of four zonal chairpersons.

Meanwhile, the Corporation Council hall at the civic body’s main office along with the offices of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor are being spruced up. The official residences of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, situated adjacent to the main office, area also being refurbished.

The elected councillors are scheduled to take oath on March 2 and the indirect elections for the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor are slated for March 4. However, it is widely expected that the Mayor and Deputy Mayor would be unanimously elected.