Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidates won major positions in the casual elections held in the rural local bodies in Salem.
In Salem, the elections were held to 24 positions, including Ward 10 in District Panchayat, and Ward 9 in Panamarathupatti Union, 10 village panchayat president posts and 12 village panchayat member posts.
Polling booths were set up at 195 places in the district. The counting of ballot papers was held at 12 centres. District Collector S.Karmegham reviewed the progress of the counting at the Karuppur Government Engineering College.
Over 1,000 police personnel were deployed by the Salem city and rural police for security purpose at the counting centres and 40 personnel were involved in counting of votes. Out of the 10 village panchayat president posts, eight posts were won by DMK affiliated candidates and two by AIADMK affiliated candidates.
DMK candidate K. Suresh Kumar won the elections to Ward 9 in Panamarathupatti panchayat union for a margin of 1,771 votes. DMK candidate K. Shanmugham was leading with a margin of 8,798 votes in Round 12 of counting in elections held to District Panchayat ward.
Namakkal
In Namakkal, the counting centres were set up at eight places in the district and over 500 police personnel were deployed for security purpose. The elections were conducted to 15 positions in the district on October 9 including Ward 6 in District Panchayat, Ward 15 in Erumapatty Panchayat Union, three village panchayat president posts and 10 village panchayat ward member posts. District Collector Shreya P.Singh visited the counting centre at Vennandur.
K.Muthukaruppan of DMK won Erumapatty Panchayat Union ward member post with a margin of 1,382 votes and R.Duraisami won the elections to District Panchayat with a margin of 15, 809 votes.
Erode
In Erode, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidates bagged one district panchayat ward member post and two panchayat union ward member posts in the rural local body election, for which counting of votes took place in the district here on Tuesday.
Of the total 27 vacancies for various posts in the panchayat unions, seven village panchayat ward members were elected unopposed, while polling was held for remaining 20 vacancies in panchayat unions here on October 9. J. Sadasivam of DMK who contested for the post of district panchayat member in Ammapettai secured 18,713 votes and was declared winner. Likewise, for the post of panchayat union ward members for Erode and Perundurai, K.V. Vivekanandan of DMK secured 3,405 votes and R. Senthil Kumar secured 2,804 votes respectively. Both were declared winners. Winners were also announced for the posts of village panchayat presidents for Mugasipulavan Palayam, Sankara Palayam, Gudakkarai and Karukupalayam. Thirteen village panchayat ward members were also elected.
