Date:12/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/12/stories/2006051219180300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

City springs a surprise; seven each for rival fronts

Karthik Subramanian

DMK lost out in seats considered its traditional strongholds Each of combines won seven constituencies each in a closely fought contest in Chennai. DMDK and Lok Paritran win substantial number of votes.

CHENNAI: AIADMK has sprung a surprise on the DMK in the city, taking seven of the 14 constituencies in a closely fought contest.

Chennai has long been considered a DMK bastion, where the party has won each of the 14 Assembly constituencies between 5 to 8 times. Even when it took a drubbing in the Assembly elections in 2001, the party won eight of the 14 constituencies.

But the party has received a jolt this time around losing out in constituencies considered its traditional strongholds, including T. Nagar, Triplicane and Park Town, where it was in a head-on contest with the AIADMK. Film actor Napoleon, T. Nagar MLA J. Anbazhagan, former State Ministers S.P. Sargunapandian and Raghuman Khan have lost.

Even the DMK general secretary K. Anbazhagan just about managed to beat the MDMK candidate H. Seema Basheer by a margin of 409 votes at Harbour constituency.

The AIADMK strongman P.K. Sekar Babu, who defeated Congress candidate Royapuram R.Mano, by over 18,000 votes in Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar, which is the biggest winning margin in the city, attributed his party's good showing to successful provision of basic amenities, augmentation of the city's water supply through the New Veeranam scheme and effective maintenance of law and order.

The AIADMK party cadre feel that the distribution of flood relief, including the cash packet of Rs.2,000, for all affected families during last year's flood in the city, was a major factor among the economically-backward sections. The AIADMK Minister D. Jayakumar also defeated DMK candidate and former Minister S.P. Sargunapandian by over 13,000 votes in Royapuram.

For the DMK, its chief M. Karunanidhi from Chepauk, deputy general secretary M.K. Stalin from Thousand Lights, treasurer Arcot N. Veerasamy from Anna Nagar and Parithi Ellamvahuthi from Egmore have won.

The DMK party men are finding it difficult to explain the trend reversal when compared to rest of the State. Most of the party's agents at the counting centres on Thursday said they believed there was a wave within the metro in favour of the AIADMK.

In almost all city constituencies, actor Vijayakant's DMDK has won substantial number of votes. The students-backed Lok Paritran have garnered decent number of votes in Anna Nagar and Mylapore.

The DMDK has been a major factor in several constituencies, especially in North Chennai where its candidates seem to have narrowed down the fight between the AIADMK-front and the DMK-front.

The elections to the Chennai Corporation council are due this October. With the city clearly divided between the two fronts, the local body polls promises to be a lively affair.