Landslide for DMK front in Tamil Nadu urban local body polls

A recognition for the Dravidian development model: Stalin

The ruling DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance on Tuesday registered a landslide victory in the urban local body elections in Tamil Nadu, which was held after a gap of over 10 years on February 19. The DMK alliance, comprising the Congress, the Left parties, the MDMK, the VCK, the MMK and other outfits, captured all 21 municipal corporations in the State, and almost all of the municipalities and town panchayats.

The opposition AIADMK camp finished a distant second despite vigorous campaigning by its top leaders O. Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami. The party had not fared this bad in local bodies polls since its rout in 1996. In contrast, DMK president and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had addressed district-wise virtual campaigns from Chennai.

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The DMK front’s good performance was spread across Tamil Nadu but its most significant success came in the western region, which the AIADMK had held on to in the last Assembly elections, nine months ago. The party also wrested the prestigious 200-ward Greater Chennai Corporation Council, which was won by the AIADMK in 2011.

Mr. Stalin said the victory was a recognition for the “Dravidian model development” and governance and a certificate for the nine months of the DMK government.

Smaller parties such as the PMK, the Naam Tamilar Katchi, Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam, Vijayakant’s DMDK and TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK, which had contested alone, were unable to put up a tough fight.

The BJP’s candidates won in 308 wards across corporations, municipalities and town panchayats of which 200 came from Kanniyakumari where national parties have a dominant presence than the Dravidian outfits.