Date:09/02/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/02/09/stories/2007020920150300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

33 councillors elected unopposed to Council

Staff Reporter

All, including former Mayor Subramanian, from DMK front

DECLARED WINNER: Former Mayor M. Subramanian (left) receives a certificate from an election official on Thursday stating that he has been elected unopposed to the Chennai Corporation Council. — Photo: S.S. Kumar

CHENNAI : Thirty-three councillors, including former Mayor M. Subramanian, were elected unopposed to the Chennai Corporation Council here on Thursday.

Following the rejection of 31 nominations on Monday and 219 withdrawals by Thursday, 32 councillors who resigned and one new entrant have been elected unopposed. On Thursday, they received certificates, declaring that they were elected unopposed as ward members, from the Zone's Assistant Returning Officer.

All those elected unopposed belong to the DMK-led coalition. Of them, 24 are from the DMK, six from the Congress and three from the PMK. The only new entrant to the Council among these is Latha Vasu of the DMK from Ward 56.

Other notable members, who have been re-elected, besides former Mayor M. Subramanian from Ward 140, are Sureshkumar, former Works Committee chairperson, from Ward 86 and M. P. Anbudurai, former Zonal Chairman for Zone 7, from Ward 113.

Ninety-eight councillors of the DMK-led coalition resigned following the High Court's split verdict on the local body elections. Two AIADMK councillors resigned immediately after the last elections. Only 67 wards, out of the 100 wards for scheduled repoll on February 18, will now face polls.

The AIADMK-led coalition did not field any candidates for re-election.

Fifteen DMDK nominations, including the one for the ward in which M. Subramanian was contesting, two BJP nominations and 15 independents were rejected after scrutiny.

Elsewhere in the city, the BJP organised two road rokos in the city, one near the Teynampet police station and one at Nandanam near the Muthuramalinga Thevar statue, protesting alleged intimidation of candidates standing for the Corporation repoll.

As they refused to disperse, they were taken into custody and were released in the evening.

They handed over a memorandum seeking protection for candidates and their families to the Commissioner of Police Letika Saran.