The factor of caste, considered seriously by political parties while choosing their ticket for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, does not seem to count for much in the selection of candidates for the heads of urban local bodies, according to a cross-section of politicians and an academic.
As for the municipal corporations, of the 21 posts of mayor, three have been earmarked for the Scheduled Castes (SCs), of which two (Chennai and Tambaram) are for women. The remaining is Avadi. The 18 other posts are meant for the general category, of which nine will go to women. The indirect election of the heads of the urban local bodies will be held on March 4.
There have already been demands for giving representation to different communities either at the level of mayors or deputy mayors.
An activist, of the Vanniyakula Kshatriya, argues that given that his community has a substantial presence in northern districts and parts of western districts, where three corporations have been reserved for the Scheduled Castes, the ruling DMK should set aside the post of mayor in at least two other corporations for his community. This would be “in the interests of social justice,” he argues, pointing out the two can be from among Kancheepuram, Vellore, Cuddalore and Salem.
A few years ago, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and Scheduled Caste leaders like C.K. Thamizharasan had undertaken legal battles for getting some of the posts of deputy heads of the local bodies reserved for the Scheduled Castes.
However, R.S. Bharathi, a four-time chairperson of the former Alandur municipality and now the ruling DMK’s Rajya Sabha Member, asserts that in the selection of candidates for the heads of the urban local bodies, his party goes by their record, both in the party and in the local bodies concerned, and their acceptability to all.
Concurring with him, A. Gopanna, senior vice- president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, says that at the time of selection, parties do consider the years of experience that the candidates have. The factor of caste does not operate much at this stage.
Academic G. Palanithurai also feels caste is not a major factor as parties are keen on having those capable of effectively delivering public services. Otherwise, it will affect the image of the parties. In the case of the ruling party, it concerns the image of the State government, he points out.
However, a professor of political science and a senior member of the AIADMK say the caste factor does play a role at every stage and the parties can ill afford to ignore it.
