Local body polls: Congress releases first list of candidates in Kochi Corporation; women take lead
Kochi: Signalling an early start to its civic poll campaign, the Congress on Tuesday released the first list of candidates for the Kochi Corporation elections, featuring a strong presence of women and a blend of old and new faces. Of the 40 candidates announced, 22 are women, a move the party said
Kochi: Signalling an early start to its civic poll campaign, the Congress on Tuesday released the first list of candidates for the Kochi Corporation elections, featuring a strong presence of women and a blend of old and new faces. Of the 40 candidates announced, 22 are women, a move the party said
Kochi: Signalling an early start to its civic poll campaign, the Congress on Tuesday released the first list of candidates for the Kochi Corporation elections, featuring a strong presence of women and a blend of old and new faces. Of the 40 candidates announced, 22 are women, a move the party said
Kochi: Signalling an early start to its civic poll campaign, the Congress on Tuesday released the first list of candidates for the Kochi Corporation elections, featuring a strong presence of women and a blend of old and new faces. Of the 40 candidates announced, 22 are women, a move the party said underscored its commitment to greater gender representation in local governance.
Announcing the list at a press conference, District Congress Committee (DCC) president Mohammed Shiyas said the second list, covering the remaining 25 divisions, would be released soon. The Congress is contesting 65 of the 76 divisions, while 11 seats have been allotted to United Democratic Front (UDF) allies like the Indian Union Muslim League (7), Kerala Congress (Joseph) (3), and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (1).
A surprise inclusion in the list was VP Chandran, a former CPI(M) councillor and party functionary, who will contest from the Vytilla division as a UDF independent under the RSP quota. Shiyas said Chandran, who quit the CPI(M) citing factionalism and discontent with the leadership, was an “ideal candidate” with strong local support.
KPCC general secretary and sitting councillor Deepthy Mary Varghese, regarded as a leading contender for the mayor’s post, which is reserved for women this term, will contest from the Stadium division. Shiyas said the Congress would field more women than the mandated quota by nominating them in general divisions as well. “The mayor will be chosen by the parliamentary party after the elections,” he said.
The first list included both fresh entrants and former councillors. On whether former mayor Soumini Jain would return to the fray, Shiyas declined to confirm, saying that the decision would be reflected in the second list. He added that the party had addressed internal differences to ensure a united front this time.