Madurai, Oct 10: AIADMK candidate Rangasamy has won the city council elections for the 43rd ward by a margin of 186 votes. AIADMK candidate polled 2,580 votes against the candidate Azhagarsamy who polled 2,394 votes. The DMK lost the ward after being in comfortable lead of 230 votes in the first four rounds. The by-election for the ward was held after the death of the AIADMK councillor Rathinavel Murugesan. The AIADMK had retained the ward by winning the elections. The partywise strength in the council is DMK 32, AIADMK 26, CPI(M) 5, Congress4, BJP 2, CPI 1, Independents 2.

In Pappapatti Panchayat the people-backed candidate K Azhagar polled 923 votes and won in the elections for the Panchayat Presidentship. His opponent K Muthan polled only 43 votes. Most of the Dailts in Karayanpatti hamlet boycotted the elections. The Dalits said they did not want to vote and antagonise the caste Hindus. The elections for the Panchayat Presidentship could not be successfully held as a section of the caste Hindus had opposed reserving the Panchayat for the Dalits since 1996.
Bureau Report