The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), which harbour big ambitions in Tamil Nadu, are gearing up for the urban local bodies elections. In these elections, they see another opportunity to position themselves as the alternative to the DMK as well as the AIADMK.
PMK sources said the party would contest alone in the elections as announced by the leadership recently. But they underlined that the allotment of the post of Mayor of the municipal corporations in and around Chennai to the Scheduled Castes should have been avoided and the representation of the community should have been ensured across Tamil Nadu.
However, NTK leaders consider the reservation of the post of Mayor of Chennai and Tambaram for the Scheduled Caste women as an advantage. “The Naam Tamilar Katchi has been fielding an equal number of male and female candidates. We have also fielded more candidates from the Scheduled Castes. In fact, in November 2019, our leader Seeman urged the State government to reserve the post of Chennai Mayor for the Scheduled Castes and implement the reservation system for the post of Deputy Mayor too,” NTK spokesperson Packiarajan Sethuramalingam said.
He said Seeman, the NTK chief co-ordinator, would announce the candidates for Mayors (to be elected indirectly) in the coming weeks.
While the PMK had contested alone in the rural local bodies elections claiming that it did not have enough time to conclude seat-sharing negotiations with the AIADMK, party founder S. Ramadoss reiterated the desire at the party’s general body meeting to lead an alliance and form the government in 2026. Dr. Ramadoss had also alleged in December last that the party’s partners for the 2021 Assembly election violated the “alliance dharma”.
A PMK leader said the party had revamped its structure with the intention of forming and leading an alliance in the State.
Asked about the possibility of smaller parties springing a surprise by winning the elections for Mayor in at least some of the corporations, Villupuram MP D. Ravikumar, of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, said such a possibility had been precluded by the indirect election of Mayors.
“Smaller parties will find it impossible to elect Mayors since they will be elected indirectly. If Mayors were elected directly, there might have been a chance. Only those with a majority of councillors will be able to elect a Mayor. The urban local bodies elections will once again see a direct contest between the DMK and the AIADMK. However, the DMK will get a clear mandate,” he said.
