Newly elected members take oath in Vellore, nearby districts

Polling was held on February 19 for 42 urban local bodies in these districts

The newly elected ward members of the urban local bodies were sworn in as councillors on Wednesday in Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet and Tirupattur districts.   Polling was held in these districts on February 19 for 42 urban local bodies — 16 municipalities, 25 town panchayats and one corporation (Vellore City) — comprising 905 wards. A total of 16.29 lakh electors decided the fate of 3,898 candidates. “Once the Mayor is elected on Friday, the first general council meeting will be held,” said P. Ashok Kumar, Commissioner, Vellore Corporation. The members took their oath in the refurbished two-storey Corporation building on Infantry Road in Vellore. The DMK has secured majority by winning in 44 wards, followed by the AIADMK with seven wards. The civic body has 60 wards. Smaller parties such as the BJP, the VCK and the PMK won in one ward each.   The DMK won a majority of wards in such key municipalities as Gudiyatham and Pernambut and in border towns like Tiruvalam, Odugathur and Pallikonda in Vellore district. It secured a majority in Tiruvalam, a town on the border with Ranipet, and Odugathur, which is along the Jawadhu Hills. “We have only seven members in the newly elected council. Nevertheless, we will work as a responsible Opposition party by highlighting people’s demands,” said M. Moorthy, treasurer, AIADMK, Vellore (Urban).

Ranipet and Tiruvannamalai have the highest number of urban local bodies that went to the polls — 14 each. Here too, the DMK secured majority in major towns such as Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet, Arakkonam, Arcot, Melvisharam and Walajah, all municipalities. The AIADMK was able to secure majority only in Arani, winning 15 out of 33 wards. The DMK won 12 wards. In the Vandavasi municipality (12 wards) in Tiruvannamalai, seven Independents won, forcing both the AIADMK and the DMK to depend on them to win the post of chairman. Together, Tiruvannamalai and Ranipet have 474 wards, of which the DMK won in at least 272.   Smaller districts like Tirupattur also added to the tally of the DMK by 79 wards out of a total of 118 in such major municipalities as Tirupattur, Ambur, Jolarpet, Vaniyambadi and Natrampalli. The Independents performed well in Ambur, Vaniyambadi and Natrampalli, winning 14 wards.