DMK-led combine gains majority in Tuticorin

The DMK and its alliance partners, which constituted the Democratic Progressive Alliance, had won in 28 out of the 51 wards, gaining an absolute majority in Tuticorin Municipality.

Of them, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidates have won in 23 wards, Congress bagged four, and Communist Party of India (Marxist) won one seat.

The DMK's tally had technically gone up to 24, a day after the results were announced, as K.V.K. Sami, an Independent candidate, who won from ward 11, joined the party on Thursday. Mr Sami defeated a DMK candidate, Abraham, in the electoral battle.

In the remaining wards, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Independent candidates came out triumphant in 11 each and Bharatiya Janata Party bagged two.

For AIADMK, a major setback came in the form of defeat to its candidate, R. Henry, who was the Chairman between 1996-2001. He lost to A. Balaji of DMK by a margin of 69 votes in Ward 24.

Henry's wife, Frida Henry, who was projected in the party circles as the AIADMK nominee for the post of Chairperson, too lost the electoral battle. She was defeated by T. Annam of DMK, who scored 55 votes more.

The ward 8 and ward 32 saw the closest of the battles, as the margin between the first and the second candidates was just two votes. In ward 8, N Suresh Kumar of AIADMK defeated Selvaraj of CPI, while Eswaran (AIADMK) prevailed over Jeyasingh, an independent, in the ward 32.

S. Palani, an Independent candidate contested in ward 17, registered a dubious distinction of becoming the only candidate in the entire fray to register a `duck' (blank) in the tally of votes.

The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, which raised great expectations failed to notch up any seat.

Source: The Hindu