Thiruvananthapuram: Villages in Kerala now have new heads to lead them into the New Year with presidents having been selected for panchayats in the wake of the local body election that was held amid the COVID pandemic.
In many places, the presidency was determined through a lottery, while in some places, new alliances and changed allegiances that blurred the distinction between Fronts and principles helped decide the post.
In the Wayanad district panchayat, where the UDF and the LDF have eight seats each, the presidency was won by the UDF through a lottery; in the draw for the vice-presidency, luck favoured the LDF.
With this, the UDF has got the leadership of three district panchayats in the state. The LDF has got the presidency of 11 district panchayats and the vice-president’s post in Wayanad.
The LDF got the president’s post in 19 gram panchayats through a draw, while UDF got 17 and the NDA one. The UDF and LDF got one each in the block panchayats.
In Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala's panchayat Chennithala-Thripperumthura, the UDF backed the LDF to keep the NDA away. Although the UDF has more seats here, only the CPM and the BJP had members eligible for the presidency in the seat reserved for women candidates belonging to scheduled castes.
In Elamkulam, the birthplace of EMS, the UDF got the president’s post after 40 long years. The Front won the posts of president and vice-president through a lot.
In Pangode (Thiruvananthapuram) and Kottangal (Pathanamthitta) grama panchayats, LDF candidates became presidents with the support of SDPI; they, however, resigned shortly afterwards.
Meanwhile, the LDF came to power in Ranni (Pathanamthitta) with the support of the BJP. In Kumbla (Kasargod), where the UDF and the NDA were on equal footing, the UDF seized power with the support of the SDPI.
In the Elampalloor (Kollam) panchayat, where the LDF has a majority, an independent became the president with the support of the UDF and the NDA. In Elanji (Ernakulam), the Congress, the CPM, the Kerala Congress (M) and Kerala Congress (Jacob) joined hands to defeat the Kerala Congress (Joseph) faction.
The UDF came to power with the support of the SDPI in Poruvazhy panchayat (Kollam) where no one had a majority.
Total district panchayats 14
LDF 11
UDF 3
NDA 0
Total block panchayats 152
LDF 109
UDF 40
NDA 0
*Presidential elections are not over in three places
Total gram panchayats 941
LDF 579
UDF 324
NDA 16
Others 8
*Presidential elections have not been completed in 14 gram panchayats
