The meeting was chaired by Deputy Mayor T. Nagarajan. Corporation Commissioner Chitra Vijayan was also present
| Photo Credit: S. KRISHNAMOORTHY
The Madurai Corporation Council approved Mayor Indrani Ponvasanth’s resignation letter at a special meeting convened on Friday (October 17, 2025).
The council secretary had announced the meeting, which was chaired by Deputy Mayor T. Nagarajan. Corporation Commissioner Chitra Vijayan was also present at the meeting.
Soon after the Deputy Mayor called the meeting to order, the resignation letter of Ms. Indrani was read out. After a brief pause, the Deputy Mayor announced that the council accepted it unanimously and adjourned the meeting.
As the procedure to read out the letter was under way, AIADMK councillors, led by Solai M. Raja, stood up and claimed credit for the Mayor’s resignation. For a few minutes, chaos prevailed, as the DMK members stood up and raised their objection. However, within a short period, the Deputy Mayor announced that the meeting was adjourned.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Solai Raja said that the AIADMK had levelled corruption charges against DMK functionaries over property tax, and the scam resulted in a huge loss to the exchequer. On behalf of the people of Madurai, he declared the Mayor’s resignation “a moral victory.”
He also charged that the DMK’s inability to find a new Mayor showed “irresponsibility and slackness.” “Today, there is no Mayor. Already, five zonal chairpersons and two standing committee chairmen have resigned. The Corporation is headless, as the elected representatives from the DMK are charged with corruption. With the Northeast monsoon having arrived, there is no preparedness. The people are at a risk. This government should be shown the door soon,” he said.
Sit-in protest
As the councillors and officials left the hall, AIADMK councillor Shanmugavalli announced a sit-in protest, condemning the lackadaisical attitude of the civic body in failing to redress her ward’s grievances.
She refused to leave the hall and said that with Deepavali round the corner, the residents of her ward were forced to deal with sewage water flowing on the roads. “The problem has not been solved, and I will not leave the premises until it is,” she told mediapersons.
However, after about 30 minutes, senior officials and some of her party members assured action, following which she ended the protest.
Published – October 17, 2025 03:37 pm IST
