The Congress, which bagged a total of 592 seats in the urban local bodies polls, ended up with fewer seats than the BJP in Kanniyakumari district. The Congress won 182 seats, while the BJP won 200. The DMK bagged 286 seats in the district traditionally regarded as a bastion of the two national parties.
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While the Congress had a strike rate of almost 41% in the polls, the results in Kanniyakumari left a section of the party’s leaders disappointed. Some felt the results were a setback of sorts for the party in the district.
Some leaders said there was no major discontent with the seat-sharing arrangement with the DMK, as well as the outcome. Rajesh Kumar, Congress MLA from the Killiyoor constituency, told The Hindu that the results were better than in 2011, when the party contested alone. When asked if there was an in-principle agreement on the Congress being promised the posts of chairpersons of municipalities or town panchayat presidents, he said, “In some places, we have a majority. So, we might not need support there. Ultimately, the alliance won more.”
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“Yes, if talks had been held in a better way, we could have won more. But in many places where the BJP contested, the alliance won comfortably. During the second-level talks on the sharing of seats, it was decided within the alliance that the parties will support those who were strong in particular wards and had higher chances of winning there.”
Meanwhile, BJP Kanniyakumari district president C. Dharmaraj said the BJP’s strong cadre base and organisational structure helped it bag 200 seats. The party contested 626 seats in the district, he said. This translates to a strike rate of 31.94%.
Mr. Dharmaraj said the district had traditionally been a stronghold of the BJP, and the Hindu vote base was strong in the region. “Our leaders, like Pon. Radhakrishnan and M.R. Gandhi, have been working here and doing social service for a long time. People have confidence in the BJP. There are various Hindu organisations like the RSS that work for the people, and our cadre base is also very strong,” he said.