33 Chennai councillors failed to raise any ward issues in three years, RTI reveals

An Right to Information (RTI) reply has revealed that 33 out of 200 elected councillors in the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) did not raise a single ward issue during monthly council meetings at Ripon Buildings between November 2022 and February 2026. The silent representatives, making up nearly one-sixth of the civic body's total strength, failed to submit even a written representation regarding their local areas during this over three-year period.

The 33 councillors who remained completely silent include 29 from the DMK, two from the Congress, one from the AIADMK, and one independent councillor. The data was obtained through an RTI application filed by advocate GM Shankar, a member of the state legal wing of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

According to GCC officials, the threshold for participation in these meetings is low. The corporation’s council secretary explained that councillors are not required to speak in person to be recorded as active. Those who submit a letter detailing their ward issues during the meeting are officially marked as having spoken. The official clarified that if a councillor has not spoken, it means they did not even submit such a letter.

The RTI data also highlighted that 35 other councillors spoke only once during the same period. This group includes DMK councillor K Sharmila Gandhi of ward 34, who was heard only in 2024; AIADMK councillor P Sivaprakasam of ward 190, who spoke only in 2025; and Congress councillor B Rajan of ward 23, who spoke only in 2023.

In the initial meetings of November and December 2022, 133 councillors did not speak, including 111 out of 153 DMK councillors. While the number of silent councillors fluctuated over the years—dropping to 69 in 2023, rising to 81 in 2024, and settling at 75 in 2025—it rose again to 139 councillors who had not spoken as of February 2026.

When questioned about their silence, several councillors claimed they preferred to address local issues at zonal meetings. Independent councillor S Gomathi of ward 2 and DMK councillor S Anandhi of ward 46, whose Vyasarpadi division covers areas with long-standing infrastructure needs, both stated that their ward requirements were handled at the zonal level.

Congress councillor B Sumathi of ward 77 said she felt discouraged from speaking after the initial months because she belongs to the Dalit community, choosing instead to raise her issues at zonal meetings.

The RTI findings also highlighted attendance issues. Across 40 council meetings between November 2022 and February 2026, all 200 councillors were present together on only 12 occasions. Absenteeism peaked in May 2025 when 38 councillors missed the session. Budget debates also saw significant absences, with 33 councillors absent on February 20, 2026, 17 absent on February 21, 2024, and 16 absent on March 28, 2023.