DMK, AIADMK, SEC gear up for civic polls

With the Supreme Court deadline to hold local body elections in nine districts ticking to lapse by September 15, the stakeholders, including the State Election Commission and political parties have started the poll works.

The DMK and AIADMK district secretaries have begun election works for the upcoming civic poll in districts, including Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Vellore, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Tirupattur and Ranipet. On Monday, the former ministers and AIADMK heavyweights conducted party traders’ union meetings and poll campaign workers meeting in Vellore, Villupuram, Cuddalore and Ranipet districts.

The AIADMK party speakers and spokesperson have also commenced district-wise meetings with party aspirants and cadre to kick start the campaign against DMK. The theme of the AIADMK campaign will be to target the DMK for not maintaining the poll promises. No provision of Rs 1,000 for women, failure to abolish NEET and reduction of LPG prices are the top topics to be raised by the Opposition AIADMK.

In Cuddalore, district secretary and former minister MC Sampath chaired a meeting and discussed the election strategies that should be adhered. Similarly, another former minister KC Veeramani conducted the pre-election campaign meeting with workers and said that the AIADMK vote bank in rural areas was intact and there are possibilities for the party to win the civic polls.

“In the case of DMK, it is pinning hopes on Kodanad murder case in which the mysterious deaths are linked to former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. Similarly, the KP Park slum clearance board corruption is another subject the DMK MLAs are preparing to target AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam who held the housing portfolio then,” said a ruling party MLA adding that the DMK will also target the corruption issues related to ex-AIADMK ministers SP Velumani and P Thangamani.