CHENNAI: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Congress have reached an agreement on sharing of Mayor posts: the Congress will contest for the mayorship of Tiruchi and Coimbatore corporations and the DMK for the mayorship of the other four corporations.

The mayorship was the bone of contention between the parties. The Congress wanted the Tiruchi and Coimbatore Mayor posts, but the DMK was prepared to give only Tiruchi.

As they could not come to an understanding, the Congress referred the issue to the party high command. The All-India Congress Committee persuaded the DMK to give up its claim on Coimbatore.

However, Congress leaders and workers are still not confident of getting 25 per cent of the posts of chairperson in local bodies as promised by the DMK. Difficulties have cropped up in implementing the agreement because of pressure from lower-level functionaries. DMK councillors in a majority in municipalities and panchayat unions are not willing to offer the chairmanship to other parties.

Talking to The Hindu , TNCC president M. Krishnasswamy admitted there were differences over sharing the posts.

In some municipalities and panchayat unions, the DMK councillors were reluctant to elect a Congress chairman although it had been agreed during the seat-sharing talks that even if the Congress had only two councillors, constituents of the Democratic Progressive Alliance would support it if the chairperson's post was allotted to the party.

Confident of a solution

Mr. Krishnasswamy, however, added that he was confident that the issue would be settled amicably and the Congress would get the allotted chairmanship in municipalities and panchayat unions.

But the DMK councillors in many municipalities and panchayat unions, where the party has secured more than two thirds of the seats, are claiming chairperson posts as their right.

They argue that if a "minority party" is given the post, it will be difficult to run council meetings.

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