The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : DPA wins majority in Ambattur, Avadi

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Saturday, Oct 21, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

DPA wins majority in Ambattur, Avadi

K. Lakshmi

More independents have won seats this time, say officials

CHENNAI : The DMK has wrested the Ambattur municipality and retained the Avadi municipality in the local body elections.

In Avadi, the DMK won 15 seats, and the PMK and the Congress secured four each. A party needs 25 seats to gain a majority, and the DMK coalition has only 23 councillors. While AIADMK secured 10 wards, MDMK candidates won four seats.

Independent councillors took away 11 seats of the total 48 wards in the local body. A municipal official said the contribution of independent candidates has been on the rise this time.

Last time only nine wards were taken by independents.

The trends have changed this time. The DMK, which had only nine councillors last time, has gained more seats. On the other hand, AIADMK has lost a few seats to other parties. Eight of the councillors have retained their seats: Abdul Raheem, immediate past vice-chairman, C. Gopalakrishnan, independent councillor in ward 11, `Victory' Mohan, past chairman, and M. Pasupathy, a PMK councillor. The spouses of past councillors have also won in the same wards.

Similarly, in Ambattur municipality, which has 52 wards, the DMK alliance got 22 seats while the AIADMK grouping secured 16, including one by the MDMK. The PMK won seven and the Congress five wards.

Municipal officials said that independent councillors this time took seven wards.

The councillors will elect the chairman and vice chairman in the respective municipalities on October 28.

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