Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had a pleasant surprise when she came to Coimbatore airport to board the flight to Chennai on Sunday. The Chief Minister, who is also the general secretary of the AIADMK, had a group of visitors from Kerala who were waiting to seek her blessings and guidance.
The group had six newly elected Panchayath members from the neighbouring Kerala. All of them were fielded by the AIADMK in the local body elections held on November 5, the results of which were declared on Saturday.
The AIADMK, which had fielded nine candidates in three districts, won six seats spread in Palakkadu and Idukki, districts adjoining Tamil Nadu. Interestingly, the AIADMK won three seats in Idukki district, where the anti-Tamil Nadu feeling is said to be high over the Mullaperiyar Issue.
Jayalalithaa congratulated the winners and asked them to work for the development of the wards and welfare of the people. “Amma told us to follow the development works happening in Tamil Nadu. She also told us to be in touch with her for all help and guidance,” Srinivasan Venugopal, secretary, Kerala AIADMK told The Pioneer.
He said the AIADMK victory was unique because the party fought the election on its own. “We did not have any alliance and we followed the dictum of Amma. Our alliance was with the electorate,” he said.
In a statement released to the media before her departure from the Kodanadu retreat in the western Ghats to Chennai, Jayalalithaa thanked the voters of Kerala for electing the AIADMK candidates for serving them.
Venugopal said the AIADMK would field candidates in the Kerala Assembly election which is six months away. “Amma is working out a strategy for the party and we are confident of opening our account in the Kerala legislative Assembly thanks to Amma’s charisma,” he said.
The AIADMK had won three seats in the local body elections in Andaman held in September. This is the first time, the AIADMK is winning election in Kerala, according to GR Ponnusamy, the party deputy secretary in-charge of Kerala.
Jayalalithaa, who was working from Kodanadu retreat for the last few weeks returned to Chennai on Sunday.