People's Democracy

TAMILNADU CIVIC & LOCAL BODIES ELECTION- 2006

DMK, Allies Romp Home To Landslide Victory

A A Nainar

IT is a landslide victory for the DMK and its allies in the local body elections held in the State of Tamilnadu in two phases on October 13 and 15, of this year. The DPA garnered more than two-thirds of the seats and pushed the AIADMK led front to the margins as it had to share the remaining one-third seats with DMDK, BJP and a considerable number of Independents.

The elections were notified on September 19, 2006 and the political parties had very little time to discuss anything in detail with their allies. The 4.65 crore strong voters were to elect 1,30,692 representatives for the 6 Corporations, 102 First Grade Municipalities, 50 Third Grade Municipalities, 561 Town Panchayats, 385 Panchayat Unions, 29 District Panchayats and numerous Village Panchayats. Except for the village panchayat chairpersons and village panchayat ward members, elections for all other positions were held on party basis-on the symbols of the political parties. 

There were about 4,73,335 candidates in the fray for the 1,30,962 positions when the final list was announced. Taking the experience of the functioning of various bodies, the government had modified the existing practice of electing chairmen directly for various bodies into indirect elections, just before the elections. There were lots of friendly (!) contests in spite of seats shared amongst constituents of allies. Innumerable candidates filed papers as rebel candidates defying the writ of their respective parties. The elections were by and large peaceful but for the violence and the large-scale booth capturing that took place in the Chennai Corporation elections. The counting took place the 18th October 2006 for all places except Chennai Corporation for which counting was to be deferred by the order of the Madras High Court. The results were on expected lines.

THE RESULTS OF THE CPI (M) CONTESTED SEATS:

*Includes all seats contested in seat sharing with DPA and those contested independently.
**Not fought on party symbols; hence exact figures of contest/victory could not be fully assessed

In Chennai there was an organized violence and anarchy in the Corporation elections. Hired professional gangs were engaged by the ruling party candidates to rig the elections. Right from morning 07.00 AM these gangs barged into booths and had driven everybody out-to rig the elections in favour of the DMK and its allies. General public were not allowed anywhere near the booth. They were intimidated and attacked at a few places. The polling agents and party workers of opposition were the targets of attack and they bore the brunt. 

The seat sharing arrangement with the DP Alliance did not fructify for the Chennai Corporation and the CPI(M) contested independently in 8 out of the 155 wards in Chennai. In these 8 wards the CPI(M) party workers had to face severe repression by the ruling party candidates and their hired hooligans led by their MLAs and leaders. A CPI(M) district committee member Manikandan was brutally attacked and was hopitalised with grievous injuries. One candidate and sitting member of the Corporation, Ms Devi of the CPI(M), was dragged out of the booth and was attacked. She was hospitalized with minor head injuries. Dozens of cadres were hospitalized and many others were treated as out patients. Fabricated cases were filed against CPI(M) district leaders and cadres. The Chennai City Police stood a mute witness to this violence and booth capturing indulged by the ruling party and its allies.

The state committee of the CPI(M) met in Chennai and conducted a quick review of the developments and announced that the party will take up the issue of Chennai Corporation elections to the streets and conduct a rally on October 26, demanding repoll not only in the 8 booths it had contested but in all places where violence and booth capturing had taken place. The overall results throughout the state, a resolution passed in the meeting said, were an expression of continuity and manifestation of the faith people had reposed in the DMK and its strong alliance in the last two elections; the Chennai Corporation election is definitely a blot on democracy and an aberration about which the DMK will have to do some soul searching.

The CPI(M) state committee resolution had recalled the background in which the elections took place. It was against the anti democratic and anti people activities of the AIADMK and in order to protect democracy and defend the people’s rights that the CPI(M) had come to an understanding with the DMK and other parties. The performance of the AIADMK and its allies as opposition does not reveal any change in them. The DMK on its part had just started implementing its poll promises seriously. In this background it was decided to continue the understanding with the DMK in all places with regard to the local body elections and give constructive support for their governance. However, it was decided that the fight against their high handed activities and police inaction in Chennai will continue in all forms.