CHENNAI: Even though AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran did not campaign in Chennai nor his party councillor candidates were enthusiastic about victory, the party has played spoilsport for AIADMK in a handful of wards, hurting the dravidian major’s victory prospects.
The Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazham, a splinter party formed with ousted AIADMK functionaries, has chipped away significant votes, in some places securing even 30%, pulling the dravidian major down. In ward 148, AMMK candidate V Giridharan won by securing 36% votes and in five more wards, the AMMK had secured double-digit vote percent, coming second or third.
In ward 4 and 25 of North Chennai, the party secured 25% votes coming above AIADMK, while in ward 36 and 151, it came third securing 7 and 8 % of the votes respectively. In addition to this, the party which also puts former chief minister J Jayalithaa as its face, got 4-5 percent votes in a dozen wards, and in all those wards the AIADMK had either got below 20% or had lost deposit.
Putting up a strong face, party leader TTV Dhinakaran on Thursday, addressing his party functionaries in Chennai, said they had won one councillor in Chennai, and the cadre must work hard to expand the party in the city. “191 people con- tested here and we won one. In future, we must have our AMMK mayor, and get hold of all the 200wards,” he said, giving confidence to the cadre. The AMMK in Chennai had got just around 2%votes during the assembly polls.
While political observershave been saying the AMMK would be embraced by the AIADMK before the parliamentary elections, party offi ce bearers saidthe party was anyway working on itsown to strengthen itself in Chennai. AMMK organising secretary Senthilnathan told TOI that our functionaries will work on the ground for the parliamentary polls. “We willreach out to people to hear their issues,” he had said. Dhinakaran said he was already preparing the ground for the 2024Lok Sabha polls, and he urged thecadre to give him full support for the preparation works.