DPA set to sweep local body polls

Chennai, Oct 18 (UNI) In a near repeat of the performance in the May eight Assembly polls, the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) is all set to capture five of the six Corporations and more than 80 Municipalities in the two phase local body elections in Tamil Nadu.

Reports received from the districts said the DPA has won several wards and established leads in several others in Tirunelveli, Salem, Coimbatore, Tiruchirapalli and Madurai Corporations as the counting of votes polled in the October 13 and 15 polls was taken up today.

However, counting in respect of Chennai Corporation, which witnessed large scale booth capturing and violence, was not taken up following an undertaking given by the State Election Commission to the Madras High Court. The main opposition AIADMK had moved the court seeking to declare the October 13 polls as null and void and demanded fresh elections with the deployment of paramilitary forces.

Elections were held to fill up 1.31 lakh posts in rural and urban local bodies. About 18,000 candidates were declared elected unopposed.

In Tirunelveli, which has 55 wards, the ruling DMK won 12 of the 24 wards, results of which were announced so far. AIADMK had won six, while CPI(M) and Congress won two and one seats each. Three wards were captured by Independents.

The DMK and its allies were also leading in a majority of the remaining wards in Tiruneveli and four other corporations, the reports said.

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