CHENNAI: DMK's Ramakrishnan alias Kittu won the mayoral poll in Tirunelveli on Monday, beating his rival Paulraj by seven votes.

Ramakrishnan, who is the councillor of ward 25, secured 30 votes while Paulraj got 23 votes.

A total of 54 votes were polled while a ballot was declared invalid in the indirect election for the post of mayor.

As soon as the result was announced and Ramakrishnan declared the new Tirunelveli Mayor, DMK cadre began their celebrations by bursting crackers and distributing sweets.

The victorious Ramakrishnan has vowed to develop the Tirunelveli Corporation and bring it to the top.

His name was announced on Sunday following a unanimous decision taken at a meeting of DMK councillors and office-bearers led by Ministers K N Nehru and Thangam Thennarasu.

Last month, DMK’s P M Saravanan, who took over as mayor in 2022, resigned from his post. He was at loggerheads with some councillors and faced opposition from within.