Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi   

Sujatha elected Mayor of Tiruchi, unopposed

— Photo: M. Moorthy

Transport Minister K. N. Nehru presenting a shawl to the newly- elected Mayor of Tiruchi Corporation S. Sujatha on Wednesday.

TIRUCHI: Congress member and the party’s councillor in the Tiruchi Corporation, S. Sujatha, on Wednesday was elected unopposed to the post of Mayor with DMK support. Councillors of the AIADMK and its allies MDMK, CPI and CPI (M) kept away from the process. The election, held in the council hall, was over in half an hour since no other nomination paper was filed. It was necessitated by the resignation of Congress member Sarubala R.Tondaiman, who contested unsuccessfully from the Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency in the recent election.

The exercise began at 9.30 a.m. with Corporation Commissioner and Returning Officer T.T.Balsamy calling for nomination papers from candidates for the Mayor’s post. Councillors of the DMK, which commands a majority in the 60-member council, and those of the Congress, the Desiya Murpokku Dravidar Kazhagam and Independents – in all 41 – assembled in the council hall for the election. Councillors of the AIADMK, MDMK and the two Left parties, whose combined strength is 18, kept away.

Between 9.30 a.m. and 10.00 a.m., the time for filing nominations, two papers were filed on behalf of 38-year-old Sujatha, who represents ward No.51.

Her name was proposed by Jerome Arokiaraj, another Congress councillor and Tiruchi Urban District Congress committee president, and DMK member and Mayor (in-charge) M.Anbazhagan.

Mr.Balsamy took up the lone nomination paper of Sujatha for scrutiny, and minutes later, announced her election amid thumping of desks by DMK and Congress councillors and Independents.

An elated Ms. Sujatha was greeted by Transport Minister K.N.Nehru and DMK and Congress councillors, besides the lone DMDK councillor and Independent councillors. The Returning Officer presented the election certificate to Sujatha, who subsequently took the oath. Thanking Congress president Sonia Gandhi, general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Home Minister P.Chidambaram, Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi and Deputy Chief Minister M.K.Stalin, Ms.Sujatha said she would try her best to obtain Central and State assistance to develop the city.

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