Women to lead 3 corporations in Kerala; 21-year-old Diya to head Pala municipality

With the mayoral elections concluded on Friday, women will head three municipal corporations in Kerala for now. UDF councillors V K Minimol, P Indira and Dr Niji Justin took oath as mayors of the Kochi, Kannur and Thrissur corporations, respectively.

The other three corporations — Kollam, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram — will have male mayors.

Pala municipality, meanwhile, scripted history by electing its youngest woman chairperson. Diya Binu Pulikakkandam, who won the local body polls as an independent candidate, received 14 votes. The UDF agreed to field Diya as its mayoral candidate after three members of the Pulikakkandam family decided to support the front.

Binu Pulikakkandam, his daughter Diya, and his brother Biju had won as independent candidates. Their decision proved crucial to the UDF securing an absolute majority in the 26-member municipality. While LDF won 12 seats, the UDF secured 10. Independents won the remaining four seats. As the Pulikakkandam family extended support to the UDF, the DCC leadership decided to offer the mayoral post to Diya for the first two years.

In Kochi, KPCC general secretary and councillor Deepthy Mary Varghese congratulated the new mayor, Minimol, putting an end to the controversy over the mayoral selection. 

However, in Thrissur, Congress councillor Lali James triggered a controversy by alleging that the District Congress Committee had “sold” the mayoral post to Dr Niji Justin. 

In Kollam, UDF councillor AK Hafees took the oath as the mayor. LDF councillor O Sadasivan is the new mayor of the Kozhikode corporation. In Thiruvananthapuram, where the BJP scripted history by winning an absolute majority, VV Rajesh was sworn in as mayor.