ரொறன்ரோ மேயரானார் ரோப்!!!

ரொறன்ரோவில் பலத்த இழுபறிப்பாடுகளிடையே ரோப் வோட் {Rob Ford} மேயரானார்.

Mayor-elect Rob Ford (M) celebrates his victory with his wife Renata Ford (R) at the Toronto Congress Center in Toronto, Ontario, Monday, October 25, 2010.
Photograph by: Tyler Anderson, National Post
TORONTO — Torontonians gave Rob Ford an overwhelming victory Monday as Toronto’s new mayor, granting the “stop-the-gravy-train” candidate roughly 47 per cent of the vote.

Ford was declared the winner just eight minutes after the polls closed and soon after he was proclaiming that “Toronto is now open for business.”

He handily beat his chief rival, George Smitherman. The former provincial Liberal cabinet minister and deputy premier was sitting at 35 per cent and former deputy mayor Joe Pantalone was lagging at 12 per cent with nearly all of the polls reported. Well after polls closed, voters were still queued outside stations across the city and, although Ford was the clear winner, their vote will be cast and counted.

“It’s a long campaign, and it’s worth every single minute,” Ford said over cheers at his victory party at the Toronto Congress Centre, his family in tow. “The people are really fed up with the wasteful spending and I want to thank them for their vote of confidence ... We’re going to get the city back on its financial feet and Toronto is now open for business.”

Ford called the unofficial results “absolutely fantastic.”

A defeated Smitherman said “the people of Toronto have spoken,” telling his supporters that voters have “sent a very clear message.”

Smitherman said he spoke with Ford to offer his congratulations on a “hard-fought campaign.”

“Differences aside, as a Torontonian who loves this city, I hope for your success, Rob,” he told the victor over “boos” from his supporters. “No, no, there are no boos tonight ... Toronto is too important — we love our city.”

A “disappointed” Smitherman said Monday’s results mark the end of a “gruelling campaign,” adding that it was a “privilege to share the stage” at the record-breaking 100 or so mayoral debates.

Meanwhile in Mississauga, Ont., Hazel McCallion looked to make it another election victory. The 89-year-old McCallion, the longtime mayor of the southern Ontario city, stormed out of the gate and never looked back, taking 76 per cent of the vote with 229 of 231 polls reporting.

In Ottawa, former Ontario cabinet minister Jim Watson took over the mayor’s chair, replacing embattled incumbent Larry O’Brien, whose term as mayor was sullied by an ugly legal battle and accusations — of which he was exonerated — of influence peddling.

“I am truly honoured and humbled by the strong mandate that I received in all wards in all parts of the city,” Watson said Monday evening. “It appears clear the public voted for change and voted for change in a very big way.”

Watson was leading O’Brien by a two-to-one margin with 540 of 556 polls reporting. Watson had 48 per cent of the votes, while O’Brien tallied 24 per cent.

Watson and Smitherman were not the only provincial political veterans competing in Monday’s municipal vote.

Two former federal Liberal cabinet ministers were vying for jobs as mayor: former labour and housing minister Joe Fontana, in London, Ont., and former minister of state (science, research and development) Maurizio Bevilacqua in Vaughan, Ont.

Bevilacqua — with close to 45,000 votes — had a four to one lead on incumbent Linda Jackson.

Fontana was trailing incumbent Anne Marie Decicco-Best in a cliffhanger — she had 46 per cent of the vote to his 45.9 per cent with 500 of 900 polls returned.

Meanwhile, in Wednesday’s municipal vote in Manitoba, former Conservative MP Inky Mark is running for mayor in Dauphin, Man., while NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis has her eyes set on Winnipeg’s mayoralty job.