BJP emerges ‘third largest party’ in Tamil Nadu; wins 308 wards in local body polls

CHENNAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won in 308 wards in the urban local body polls in Tamil Nadu. The BJP, which contested alone, has emerged as the third largest party in the state, claimed BJP state president K Annamalai.

The BJP has never won in Cuddalore, Vellore, Madurai and Chennai. However, the party has now received more votes in these areas. It has come second in many places, Annamalai said to the media.

The BJP has secured 15 percent votes in Coimbatore. In Chennai, in around 30 wards, the BJP candidates have finished as runners-up, claimed Annamalai. BJP’s victory comes in as a morale booster to the party workers, said senior leader R Srinivasan. The BJP had won 2.2 percent seats in the town panchayat elections in 2011. However, in this election, it has increased to 3.01 percent.

In the municipalities, the BJP had a seat share of one percent which has now rose to 1.45 percent. The party’s seat share also increased from 0.5 percent in 2011 to 1.67 percent in corporation wards in 2022. In 2011, it had won 226 of the 12,816 seats across corporations, municipalities and town panchayats. This has now increased to 308 out of 12,838 seats. Out of which, 200 are in the Kanyakumari district.

The DMK has won a landslide victory in the local body elections. The ruling front has emerged victorious in 21 corporations and almost all the municipalities and town panchayats.