Most of the elected representatives of rural local bodies in the district assumed office on Wednesday.
In the district panchayat council, 10 of the 12 elected councillors assumed office on Wednesday in the presence of A. Palani, Project Director, District Rural Development Agency, and Shanthi, Project Officer, Mahalir Thittam. After the senior-most member of the district panchayat council, Solomon David of ward 6, assumed office, others took the oath. Of the 12 members, 11 are from the DMK and one is affiliated to the Congress.
“Since the DMK high command has not named the district panchayat council chairman candidate and left the job to the party’s office-bearers here, absolute confusion prevails. Consequently, the aspirants for the district panchayat chairman post have started ‘horse-trading’ and some of the councillors who assumed office and those who are yet to take the oath are under the control of these aspirants. Hence, one can witness interesting or unpleasant developments during the indirect election to the post of chairman to be held on Friday (October 22),” said a DMK office-bearer, who was present in the oath-taking ceremony.
All the district panchayat councillors had come to the district panchayat office with ‘protection’ being given by private persons hired by two aspirants. After assuming office, they left the spot with the ‘protection’.
In all the nine panchayat unions, the elected ward councillors took oath and assumed office.
In Tenkasi, all the 14 councillors of the district panchayat council assumed office in the presence of Collector S. Gopala Sundararaj and Tenkasi MLA Palani Nadar.
