High-stakes battle for local polls

Chennai, Oct 4: Five months after the fiercely fought Assembly elections, Tamil Nadu is set to witness the battle for the ballot again during the two-phase elections to the local bodies scheduled for October 13 and 15.

Electioneering has reached a feverish pitch with the ruling DMK- led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA), the opposition AIADMK and the fledgling Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) led by Actor-Politician Vijayakanth vying for the honours.

A new law enacted by the DMK Government to do away with direct elections to the posts of Mayors of Corporations and Chairmen of Municipalities has not dampened the spirit of political parties going all out to woo voters at the hustings.

About 4.76 lakh candidates are in the fray for 1,30,962 posts in 13,660 urban and 1,17,302 local bodies respectively.

While elections to the ward members of Corporations, Municipalities, Third Grade Municipalities, Panchayat Unions and Town Panchayats are being held on party basis, elections to the posts of Village Panchayat Presidents and ward members are on non-party basis.

A stiff fight is on the cards as the state has already witnessed a political realignment in the run-up to the elections. After formalising seat-sharing arrangements, the Dalit Panthers of India (DPI), in a surprising development, walked out of the AIADMK-led front to join the DPA.

The stakes are high both for the ruling DMK, which is virtually seeking a referendum on its five-month rule and the Opposition AIADMK, which wants to wrest control of the local bodies after losing power in the May eight assembly elections.

In the midst is the bye-election to Madurai Central Assembly constituency. The vacancy was caused by the death of Senior DMK Leader P T R Palanivel Rajan. But its significance has been clearly overshadowed by the local body elections.

The DMK is going all out to retain the Madurai Central Assembly seat, while the opposition AIADMK, which has fielded a local heavyweight, is making a desperate effortto give a shock treatment to the ruling party. Also in the fray is Vijayakanth's DMDK nominee.

UNI