CHENNAI: Infighting in the two Dravidian majors and surprising bonhomie between second-line leaders of the rival parties came to the fore on Friday during indirect polls to elect chairman and vice-chairman of district panchayats and panchayat unions and vice-presidents for village panchayats in nine districts.
In a few local bodies, factions within the DMK competed hard and in one place one faction got support from AIADMK members to elect its candidate. Two DMK representatives were vying for the top post in Alangayam panchayat union which has 18 elected members. One DMK candidates got 12 votes including from four AIADMK members while the other candidate and five DMK members boycotted the polls.
In Mathurandagam panchayat union, a section of DMK members supported AIADMK candidates for chairman and vice-chairman following stiff contest between two DMK aspirants.
A ward member of Natrampalli panchayat union in Tirupattur district, a chairman aspirant, took all the elected representatives in a convoy of vehicles to the panchayat office with the protection of bouncers to prevent others from wooing them. He was elected chairman unopposed.
Clash between two DMK sections at Marakkanam in Villupuram district led to cancelling of polls, while an untimely death of a poll official in Kancheepuram district led to the postponement of polls.
Wife of a man lodged in prison under Goondas Act was arrested on charges of possessing and selling ganja after being elected unopposed as ward member of a local body in Kancheepuram district.
The DMK and its allies might have swept the direct elections to local bodies but there was high drama during the indirect polls to elect candidates for vital posts in the local bodies in Tirunelveli and Tenkasi. Tension prevailed in the DMK's Tirunelveli unit as the party candidate and the wife of a former AMMK functionary who joined the DMK recently were involved in a contest for the top civic body post.
In Tenkasi, Thamizh Selvi, councillor of ward 12, was elected district panchayat chairperson in the face of stiff competition from Kanimozhi, councillor of ward 6 who is also from the DMK. While Selvi polled eight votes, Kanimozhi polled five.
In Trichy, vice-presidents of two village panchayats were elected unopposed. Panchayat ward member S Jeyalakshmi of Thenur in Marungapuri union and Thumbalam panchayat ward member K Chithra in Thathaingarpettai were elected vice-presidents of the respective villages.
