Chennai, Aug 5 (IANS): DMK candidate G. Ramakrishnan won the mayoral election for Tirunelveli corporation by bagging 30 of the total 54 votes polled in the election while his opponent, a DMK rebel leader, Pavulraj, got 23 votes.

The election for the post of Mayor was held after the incumbent Mayor P. J. Saravanan resigned from the post citing ‘family reasons.’

However, DMK was forced to remove Saravanan after councillors rebelled against him for not “sharing” the “benefits of power.”

Pavulraj, who is a councillor from Ward 6 of Tirunelveli corporation was suspended from the DMK after he was involved in anti-party activities. The DMK leadership were upset with Pavulraj, who led a rebellion against the incumbent Mayor and hence was suspended from the post.

One vote became invalid while the AIADMK member and former Deputy Mayor Ganesan alias P. Jeganathan did not cast his vote.

Tamil Nadu ministers K.N. Nehru and Thangam Thennarasu, who came to Tirunelveli on Sunday (August 4) were deputed by the DMK to accept the ‘official candidate’ Ramakrishnan.

Sources said that the party high command had foisted upon the candidature of Ramakrishnan without any consultations with the party councillors.

A senior DMK leader of Tirunelveli told IANS that the rebel candidate Pavulraj getting 23 votes showed the disquiet in the party against the high command’s decision.

The party was even shocked when Pavulraj filed his nomination papers much to the disbelief of ministers K.N. Nehru and Thangam Thenarasu who had represented the party's high command to finalise the party candidate.

DMK believed that the party candidate would win the election unopposed but after Pavulraj submitted his nomination, the party was expecting a maximum of three votes including his own vote.

In the 55-member council, DMK has 44 members and has the support of 7 councillors from its electoral allies. Of these 44 members, three including Pavulraj were suspended for bringing in disrepute to the party.