The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam swept the Chennai Corporation Council elections, the results of which were declared on Friday. Of the 200 wards in the expanded Corporation, the party won 168 wards.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is the next largest party with its candidates winning in 24 wards. The Congress won in two wards. Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam and Pattali Makkal Katchi won one ward each. Two independents also won.
Saidai S.Duraisamy of the AIADMK is set to become the next Mayor of Chennai. He won by a handsome margin of over five lakh votes. Speaking to The Hindu , Mr.Duraisamy said: “It's a Himalayan victory and a turning point in the history of Chennai Corporation. For the first time the AIADMK, due to the efforts of our leader [Chief Minister Jayalalithaa], has captured the Chennai Corporation.”
On his priorities, the Mayor-elect said the emphasis would be on making the city clean and providing a clean administration. The Chief Minister, he added, had in the last two months drawn up several plans for the development of the city and they will be announced and implemented shortly.
While a final picture about the composition of the new Council became clear only by the evening, the celebrations in the AIADMK camp began within a few hours after the counting began on Friday morning. The first few results were out by 10 a.m.
As victorious candidates walked out of the counting centres, anxious supporters broke out in celebration and brought large garlands, danced to the tunes of the bands, distributed sweets and burst firecrackers.
Sounds of the celebrations continued till late in the evening.
There were 18 counting centres across the city. Tense atmosphere prevailed at some of the centres when a large number of party cadres tried to gatecrash.
Cadres, including those at the counting centres in Pallikaranai for Perungudi Zone and Surapet for Madhavaram Zone complained that the number of persons allowed inside was very less.
Traffic was also affected in areas such as Anna Nagar, Madhavaram and Kilpauk as the crowds waiting for the results spilled on to the carriageway.
At DAV Boys Higher Secondary School, Mogappair, which was the counting centre for Zone 7 (Ambattur), party cadres of AIADMK and DMK quarrelled after some of the results were declared.
Several booth agents and candidates complained about discrepancy in number of votes polled and counted. P.Wilson alias Vincent, mayoral candidate of Nationalist Congress Party represented his complaint to the polling officials at the centre.
With the day temperature hovering around 33 degree Celsius, which was two degrees higher than normal, sacks of water packets were distributed among party cadres and candidates.
Despite tight security, some vendors managed to make brisk business near the counting centres. S.Kanniappan, a groundnut seller at Vepery, said, “I came here as the crowd swelled by the hour. I have managed to sell groundnuts worth Rs.1,000, which is twice my usual sales.”