Kamal Haasan’s MNM draws blank in urban polls as small parties fail to make impact

Chennai, Feb 23 (SocialNews.XYZ) Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) drew a blank in the urban local body elections even though it had contested several seats across the state.

In the 2021 Assembly elections and the 2021 October rural local body elections, the party could not win any seat.

However, the independent candidates supported by Tamil Super Star, Vijay's fans association, Vijay Makkal Iyyakam won five seats in Chennai corporation and won in a few other seats. In the 2021 rural elections also candidates supported by the Vijay Makkal Iyyakam had won 126 seats.

Actor turned politician Seeman's political party Naam Tamilar Kazhagam (NTK), which also had drawn a blank in the 2021 rural elections, however, won 6 seats in town panchayats.

The PMK of the powerful Vanniyar community, which contested alone in the 2021 rural elections and the present urban polls, won 126 urban local body seats spread across corporations, municipalities and town panchayats. It could get 7 corporation councillors, 48 seats in municipalities, and 73 seats in town panchayats.

The PMK was in a political alliance with the AIADMK in the 2019 general elections and in the 2021 Assembly elections, but decided to go it alone in the 2021 rural polls and in the 2022 urban polls also. It had expected to do well in Western and Northern Tamil Nadu, but the results were not in its favour even though the party managed to win a handful of seats.

The AMMK of TTV Dhinakaran managed to win 102 seats in urban local body elections and will rule the Orathanadu town panchayat in Thanjavur district.

The possibility of small political parties losing their relevance in the political landscape of Tamil Nadu is imminent if there is no proper reworking in their strategies.

Source: IANS