Why long-serving veterans in Kerala local bodies don't take it to the next level?
Even after decades of experience, they have chosen to remain exactly where they began. For these candidates, the warmth of direct connection outweighs the lure of bigger posts.
Even after decades of experience, they have chosen to remain exactly where they began. For these candidates, the warmth of direct connection outweighs the lure of bigger posts.
Even after decades of experience, they have chosen to remain exactly where they began. For these candidates, the warmth of direct connection outweighs the lure of bigger posts.
While local body elections often serve as a launchpad for higher echelons of power, some leaders continue to choose a different path, staying firm at the grassroots. Even after decades of experience, they prefer to remain exactly where they began. For these candidates, the warmth of direct connection outweighs the lure of bigger posts.
In Thrissur’s Alagappanagar grama panchayat, UDF candidate K Rajeshwari is already a familiar face. She has been winning elections in Ward 1 for the last 25 years and is now contesting from Ward 2. Rajeshwari has spent every afternoon of the past weeks visiting homes, greeting families and reminding supporters that she intends to continue serving them the same way she always has. For her, remaining within the panchayat is not a limitation. It is a conscious choice. “I do not like to contest for the block or district panchayat. Those positions do not have a direct relationship with the people,” she told Onmanorama during a brief break in her campaign.
“In the panchayat, people stand with you. For higher posts, of course, the party has bigger leaders. I do not think there is a chance for me there.” Rajeshwari has contested five times already. She says her satisfaction comes from the closeness of the work. “I have the mind to work day and night for the party and the people. If we come to power, maybe they will consider me for a higher post. But my joy is here.”
The sense of rootedness is not unique to Rajeshwari. In Thrissur Corporation’s Gandhinagar division, UDF candidate Advocate Subi Babu is seeking election as a councillor for the fourth time. She is one of the few leaders who openly acknowledge turning down opportunities to rise in political rank. “The party had offered me assembly seats, but I rejected them,” Subi says. “I’m content with what I’m doing now. This job lets me work closely with people, and that’s what I’ve always valued. Back then, my children were young, and even today, I feel this is where I belong. Sometimes I think I simply chose to stay in this space, and I haven’t really moved beyond it.”
For Subi, the reward is emotional rather than political. “There is great mental satisfaction in being a councillor. On a single day, you can help someone and see the impact immediately. Yes, an MLA can do more in terms of policy, but they cannot go to every colony and ask people about their issues. Councillors can. People at the local level can.” She calls her attachment to the grassroots a kind of peace. “Maybe it is my foolishness, but I find comfort here.” She adds, however, that she would be happy if the party ever considers her for mayor. “I have the experience. I have the support of the people. I am not spending money on campaigning this time. I meet people directly, and they stand with me.”
From the Mukkattukara division in Thrissur, UDF’s Shyamala Muralidharan shares a similar view. She has served as a councillor for 10 years and is currently the councillor of the Ollukara division. For her, contesting again is not a stepping stone but a continuation of the work she feels deeply connected to. “I like being a councillor,” says Shyamala. “I am happy taking care of my division. There is comfort in it.” Shyamala, too, believes that the real power lies in direct service. “I like working closely with people. Let me win first, then the party will decide everything else, including my chances of becoming mayor. We are working so much.” She adds that decisions about assembly seats are entirely in the party’s hands, though she has never pushed for one.
In the Thiruvananthapuram corporation, Congress (S) candidate Palayam Rajan and Congress candidate Johnson Joseph are considered veterans with over five terms of experience as councillors. P Ashok Kumar, the BJP councillor who contests from Pettah ward, stepped into civic body elections in the late 80s. Shyamala S Prabhu had been a BJP councillor in the Kochi corporation six times between 1988 and 2020. This year, she quit the party and contested as an independent candidate.