MADURAI: It’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) that spoiled AIADMK’s party in several panchayat unions in the southern districts, considered a bastion of the Dravidian party since its inception.
In the eight southern districts including Madurai, Dindigul, Theni, Virudhunagar, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari, AIADMK secured only Theni, Virudhunagar, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari district panchayat unions.
In other district panchayats, DMK had taken a lead in head-to-head contest and AIADMK, with the strength of its allies (BJP and DMDK) gave a tough competition in Sivaganga and Kanniyakumari where the margin between the two major Dravidian parties is very less.
In Sivaganga, out of 16 district panchayat ward members posts, AIADMK and DMK got an equal share of 8 seats each. In Kanniyakumari district, the only district where DMK was not in alliance with Congress, Congress won five seats, AIADMK and BJP 4 and 2 seats respectively.
In many panchayat unions, AMMK party had secured enough number of seats and in many places, its candidates secured enough number of votes which played a vital role in the loss of AIADMK candidates.
In Thoothukudi, AMMK had registered its maximum number of victory by securing 16 seats. Going a step forwards, the party swept 10 out of 16 wards in Kayathar panchayat union, where AIADMK managed to win only one seat.
AMMK secured eight posts in Sivaganga, seven in Madurai, five in Theni and Ramanathapuram and two in Dindigul. Though these numbers seem less, it will play a major role during the indirect election for selecting the union presidents.
The independent candidates also secured a decent number of seats in southern districts and they were an important factor in deciding the heads of the panchayat unions.
In Madurai, the district which has two ministers, RB Udhayakumar and Sellur K Raju, had failed to secure the district panchayat where AIADMK managed to get only 9 out of 23 seats.
Kovilpatti and Kayathar unions, in Thoothukudi, that forms part of Kovilpatti assembly constituency, represented by Information and Publicity Minister Kadambur C Raju faced a backlash for AIADMK by securing just five out of 19 wards, and one out 16 in the respective unions.
In Ramanathapuram, the son and daughter of AIADMK strongman Anwhar Raajhaa, a former MP and State Secretary of the Minority wing of AIADMK, lost the elections. His daughter Rabiyathul Adawiyya who contested for the post of panchayat union ward member in ward 2 of Madapam taluk lost to DMK candidate J Subbulakshm, whereas his son Nasar Ali who contested for the post of panchayat union ward member in ward 16 of Madapam taluk lost to DMK candidate Thoufiq Ali by a margin of 1,029 votes.
In Dindigul, the party lost the district panchayat council even though Forest Minister Dindigul C Seenivasan and former minister Natham Viswanathan were working for the party.