With the Assembly election results declared over a week ago and a new government in place, the number crunching exercise is not over yet. Inside political party offices, workers, particularly councillors of the Coimbatore Corporation, are busy assessing the number of votes polled in their wards, residential locality-wise.
Councillors say the numbers matter a lot to them as they see it as a reflection of their work in the last four-and-a-half years and an indicator of their performance in the ensuing local body polls, which is four months away.
On the political front, the councillors say the votes polled will also help them argue their case for winning nomination from their political bosses for the September-October local body polls.
The votes polled compiled ward-wise for the AIADMK and the DMK show that in 61 of the 100 wards of the Coimbatore Corporation, the AIADMK has polled more.
In just the added areas (40 of the 100 wards), the AIADMK has again polled 11,720 votes more than the DMK.
In the present 100-ward member Council, the AIADMK has nearly 80 seats.
This is notwithstanding the fact, that in seven of the 11 local bodies – Thudiyalur, Vadavalli, Vellakinaru, Vilankurichi, Saravanampatti, Kalapatti and Kurichi – the DMK has secured more votes than the AIADMK. But the latter’s huge margin – 19,830 votes in Kuniamuthur has helped it surge past the DMK.
Sources familiar with the two Dravidian parties’ performance say that it reflects the very little development the added areas have seen in the past four-and-a-half years, since they merged with the Coimbatore Corporation.
Water supply, street lights and roads continue to be residents’ demand there.
In the old city (60 wards), however, the AIADMK has polled 38,118 votes more than the DMK.
AIADMK sources say that in the next few months, their focus will be on improving basic amenities in the added areas and also old city wards where they have polled fewer votes than the DMK.
