“ The residents have not been able to get what they want from the councillors. The selection of candidates by political parties has not been up to the expectation of voters”V.S. JayaramanResident of T. Nagar
The Greater Chennai Corporation has registered 43.65% turnout in the elections held on Saturday.
Just six of the 107 wards in old city areas registered more than 50% turnout while 41 out of 93 wards in added areas registered more than 50% turnout. Three wards in added areas registered more than 70% turnout. The turnout was more than 70% in areas such as Ennore Ward 1 (72.09%), Meenambakkam Ward 159 (71.20%) and Vadaperumbakkam Ward 17 (84.58%), which remain traditional village settlements with marginalised communities from erstwhile panchayats that were merged with the Corporation in 2011.
Residents of the three wards that registered more than 70% turnout said they require civic infrastructure development, including water supply and roads. B. Mahendran, BJP candidate in Ward 1, said the turnout in the ward was high because political workers in the villages near Ennore creek consistently persuaded the marginalised communities to vote to get the benefits of welfare measures and infrastructure development.
“Most electors belong to the Scheduled Castes and Most Backward Castes. Many women and young voters visited the polling booths right from the morning. So, the percentage of polling remained high throughout the day. Another reason is that over 2,500 residents, particularly youth who had voted for a good candidate in the Assembly elections, turned up this time also. There have been allegations of cash distribution also,” said Mr. Mahendran.
Most residents in Ward 1 covering areas near the Ennore creek are daily wage workers, fishermen and other unorganised sector workers, said Mr. Mahendran. A total of 11,233 out of 15,582 electors on the rolls in Ward 1 voted on Saturday. Puzhal M. Narayanan, DMK candidate in Ward 17, said the turnout was higher because residents of Vadaperumbakkam and Theeyambakkam, which were erstwhile village panchayats with marginalised communities, voted in large numbers primarily for Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, hoping to get better civic infrastructure and welfare measures. This ward registered the highest turnout of 84.58% in the city.
A total of 3,516 out of 4,157 electors voted. The industrial area is vast but the size of the electorate is small with two agricultural villages of Vadaperumbakkam and Theeyambakkam remaining backward even after their merger with the Corporation in 2011. Similarly, in Ward 159, which is part of the old village of Meenambakkam, voters mostly belonging to the marginalised communities came out to vote in large numbers. The low turnout in many wards is said to be because of the shifting of polling stations to another location. For instance, in Thiruvottiyur zone, the most urbanised ward near Tollgate (ward 13), registered 41.78% turnout. “Three of the five polling locations were changed. So, the turnout was low,” said A. Nathiya, MNM candidate in the ward. Except for areas such as Tondiarpet, most of the other wards in the old city areas of Royapuram, Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar, Teynampet, Kodambakkam, Anna Nagar and Adyar registered less than 40% turnout. Wards in Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar zone with a sizeable number of Scheduled Castes registered low turnout.
‘No confidence’
V.S. Jayaraman, a resident of T. Nagar in Ward 133 with the city’s lowest turnout of 31.01%, said residents did not go to vote because they lost confidence in the councillors. “Residents did not vote because there was no NOTA. We expect councillors to work for us and take up our civic issues with the government. The residents have not been able to get what they want from the councillors. The selection of candidates by political parties has not been up to the expectation of voters,” said Mr. Jayaraman.
S. Karthik of AGS Colony in Velachery West said residents had seen local administration without councillors in the last five years. “People got used to being without councillors as they don’t need to pay any money for construction of house or for getting water and sewer connection. Only the stipulated amount was being paid for services in the last few years and most civic issues were getting solved at the click of a button in Namma Chennai App or complaint to the GCC or CMWSSB without any extra payment,” said Mr. Karthik.
