High drama at Salem Corporation council meeting as Mayor and Deputy Mayor clash over chair removal

High drama unfolded at the Salem Corporation’s monthly council meeting on Friday, August 28, 2026, after the Mayor demanded the removal of the Deputy Mayor’s chair from the dais.

Before the start of the meeting, a few DMK councillors brought lanterns into the Corporation building, demanding streetlight facilities for their wards. The police deployed in the building confiscated the lamps from the councillors. While police personnel entered the hall, the DMK councillors raised objections and asked the police to leave the hall.

Later, Mayor A. Ramachandran, a member of the DMK, entered the council hall. He instructed the workers to remove the chair assigned to Deputy Mayor M. Saradha Devi, a member of the Congress, from the dais. He alleged that it was at the Corporation Commissioner’s insistence that the chair has been placed on the dais and ordered its removal, much to the opposition of Ms. Devi.