Coimbatore: At least 583 of the 778 candidates, who contested from the city corporation wards, have lost their deposits. While AIADMK candidates lost deposit in 20 wards, BJP candidates lost deposit in 84 wards. Makkal Needhi Maiam candidates, who did not cross the 1,000-vote mark in any of the wards, lost their deposit in all the wards.
Meanwhile, women councillors have outnumbered their men counterparts in the city corporation council this time.
Apart from the 50 of the 100 wards in the city corporation that were reserved for them, the women candidates have also won from five other general wards, taking their representation in the council to 55.
Political parties say the elected councillors are a right mix of fresh and experienced faces. While majority of the winners are freshers, there are a handful of experienced faces to guide them. However, there is an apprehension that the council would never see any debates, as the DMK and its alliance parties have managed to win 96 of the100 seats.
The AIADMK has won only three seats, while the Congress, with nine seats, has the second highest number of councillors in the council after the DMK.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee working president Mayura S Jayakumar said seven of their councillors were fresh candidates and would be entering Victoria Hall, where the council was held, for the first time. Candidates like R Gayathiri, who won from ward 44, and M Krishnamoorthy from ward 56 have served the city as councillors in the past.
A DMK functionary said a majority of their councillors were first-timers. However, there are experienced ones as well. Meena Logu and Ilakkumi Izhamselvi are seasoned councillors among the women. The party functionary said while it was a landslide victory for them, all the elected representatives and their opinions would be treated with the same respect.
Among the eight councillors elected from the Left parties, all except V Ramamoorthy, who won from ward 12, are fresh faces.