Immediately after he was removed as the AIADMK’s Coimbatore urban district secretary, S.M. Velusamy resigned as Coimbatore Mayor.
On Tuesday night, he sent a two-line letter of resignation, an hour after he was removed from the party post, through an employee to Corporation Commissioner G. Latha.
“He did not assign any reason,” Ms. Latha told The Hindu .
Mr. Velusamy is the first Mayor to resign from the post under a cloud.
T. Malaravan of the AIADMK resigned in 2006 to contest the Assembly elections.
Additional charge Deputy Mayor Leelavathi Unni would hold additional charge as Mayor.
Official sources in the Corporation said senior officers convened a special meeting of the Council for Friday to place the resignation before the elected body, as stipulated under Section 37 of the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation Act, 1981.
Councillors said on condition of anonymity that Mr. Velusamy’s removal as the urban district secretary and his resignation as Mayor was his own doing.
Reasons The reasons they cited for his fall included the party’s not-so-impressive victory margin in Coimbatore in the Lok Sabha elections and his poor equations with party colleagues in and outside the Corporation Council, and also with officials.
A section of the councillors had even petitioned AIADMK general secretary and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, alleging that Mr. Velusamy was holding Council meetings in an autocratic manner.
Mayor’s car hits mill worker Tuesday began on a bad note for Mr. Velusamy as his official vehicle allegedly knocked down a two-wheeler rider near Palladam in Tirupur district.
Driver being questioned After hitting the motorcycle and knocking off Chandrasekar, 31, a mill worker, the car did not stop. Mr. Velusamy could not be reached for his comments. Police said his driver was being questioned.
Authorities at the private hospital in Coimbatore where Chandrasekar was admitted said on Wednesday that he was in a coma owing to a severe damage to the brain and the chances of his survival were slim.
