Sharp urban-rural divide in 3 southern districts

By S. Annamalai

MADURAI, OCT. 22. The results of the local bodies elections in Madurai, Sivaganga and Virudhunagar districts have revealed a sharp urban-rural divide. While the urbanites have voted predominantly for the DMK front, the AIADMK alliance has fared better in the rural pockets.

On the whole, it has been an even performance, with the AIADMK having a slight edge. Reversing the setback in the Assembly polls suffered by the DMK, these results, according to political observers, might serve as a key to future realignments.

Besides winning the prestigious Mayor election in Madurai, the DMK alliance has bagged chairmanship of six of the 12 municipalities in the three districts, while the AIADMK front could manage only three. The rest went in favour of independents. The DMK victory in the Madurai Mayor election could be attributed to the charisma of its candidate, a semblance of unity in the party and the sustained campaign by the former Assembly Speaker, Mr. P. T. R. Palanivel Rajan.

At the same time, the presence of the CPI (M) candidate helped to split the votes of the `secular front' to a large extent.

The AIADMK has drawn a blank in Virudhunagar and Sivaganga districts, losing all chairman posts contested. Among the 363 municipal council wards, 128 have been won by candidates of the AIADMK alliance and 105 by the DMK front.

In the elections to 72 wards of the Madurai Corporation, the DMK front has got 29 against the AIADMK's tally of 28. A few of the Independents, who have won in 9 wards, have promised their support for the DMK. Still the party might be a shade short of absolute majority in the council. In town panchayats, the performance has been mixed. Of 37 posts of town panchayat chairman in the region, 12 have gone in favour of the AIADMK front, while 10 have been won by the DMK and its allies. Among the 549 town panchayat wards, the AIADMK front has won 187 with the DMK and allies bagging 108 wards.

The AIADMK alliance has registered an overwhelming victory in the election to choose members for district panchayats. Its candidates won 58 seats, against the DMK's seven. Similarly, the AIADMK front won in 283 out of the 573 panchayat union wards, while the DMK could muster only 147.

The MDMK and the Congress could not perform upto their expectations and the latter's tally has been insignificant. But the BJP has opened its account at higher levels in this region, thanks to its association with the DMK. Yet to recover fully from the drubbing the party suffered in the Assembly polls, the DMK cadres did not indulge in a brazen show of jubilation. Instead, they attributed the victory to the ``good work done by the DMK Government between 1996 and 2001''. This mood was reflected by the Mayor-elect of Madurai, Mr. C. Ramachandran, who declared, ``I shall be impartial in my approach''.

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Section  : Southern States
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