Chennai: Who is the next Mayor of Chennai? This is the question doing the rounds in Ripon buildings, the Greater Chennai Corporation headquarters.
With three months remaining for the state election commission to notify the poll dates for the local body elections, names of prominent political heavyweights in AIADMK and DMK camps are now whispered in the corridors of city corporation.
Former MLA J.C.D. Prabhakar who lost to DMK leader M.K. Stalin in Kolathur constituency, former minister Gokula Indira, former MP Chitlapakkam Rajendran and former Rajya Sabha MP N. Balaganga are some of the names mentioned by ruling party men associated with Anna Thozhir Sangam. For the post of Deputy Mayor, the ruling party may consider corporation councillor Noorjehan, who lost to DMK heavyweight J. Anbhazhagan in Chepauk, an AIADMK party functionary said.
On the other hand, the opposition DMK which is upbeat over its Assembly poll performance in Chennai where the party won 11 seats losing just five to its arch rival AIADMK is keen on contesting and the party had already started looking for candidates. “DMK legal wing secretary R. Girirajan is the front runner in the race and he has earned the trust of M. K. Stalin and had also served as the corporation councillor in 2001–06”, said a DMK councillor in north Chennai. This time party floor leader in the corporation council Subash Chandra Bose will also get an opportunity if the party gets a majority in the councillor polls, he added.
“After the Assembly poll results, TN voters have made it clear that the electoral battle is only between AIADMK and DMK. In this scenario, the ensuing civic polls is very significant,” opined political analyst Ravindran Duraisamy The October polls is going to be different unlike the previous civic polls as the vote share difference between the AIADMK and DMK is just above one per cent. In Chennai with DMK having more MLAs than AIADMK, the opposition will give a tough fight to the ruling party. But in local body polls, the ruling party always enjoys an advantage, Duraisamy said.
