Kochi: The BJP’s historic milestone of emerging as the single largest party in the Tripunithura Municipality has lost its initial lustre, giving way to the harsh reality of a fractured mandate that has effectively sidelined the party in the administration's critical power centres. Although the party successfully secured the coveted posts of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson, the road ahead promises to be anything but a smooth sail for civic chiefs P L Babu and Radhika Varma.

In the recently concluded Standing Committee elections, a tactical consolidation by the LDF and UDF has rendered the BJP a minority in key decision-making bodies. With the LDF and UDF capturing five out of six critical Standing Committees, the ruling administration finds itself administratively encircled, setting the stage for a tenure likely defined by constant friction rather than easy governance.

The arithmetic of the 53-member council seemed to favour the BJP, which commands 21 seats. The LDF trails closely with 20, while the UDF holds 12. Yet, when the dust settled on the committee elections, the BJP found itself shut out of power in five out of six standing committees.

The LDF successfully captured the Development, Welfare, and Education Standing Committees, while the UDF secured the Health and Public Works Standing Committees. The BJP controls only the Finance Standing Committee, and that too by default, as it is chaired ex-officio by the Vice Chairperson Radhika Varma.

Political analysts and opposition leaders point to a massive tactical blunder by the BJP leadership as the root cause of this rout. According to C Vinod, a District Congress Committee member, the BJP’s strategy was mathematically flawed.

“The BJP failed to secure a majority because their calculations were amateurish. They inexplicably stacked five councillors into the Finance Standing Committee, a body they already control via the Vice Chairperson, leaving them with only three members in every other committee. Had they distributed those votes more intelligently, they could have vied for control elsewhere. It wasn't just opposition unity; it was their own poor arithmetic,” Vinod said.

The “INDI Alliance” allegation
Stung by the defeat, the BJP leadership has accused their rivals of forging an “unholy nexus” to subvert the people's mandate. P L Babu sits as the Municipal Chairperson, but his ability to execute policy is now severely constrained by hostile committees.

“The 'INDI Alliance' worked covertly against us,” a senior BJP leader alleged. “Publicly, they claim there is no understanding between the LDF and UDF, but they secretly joined hands to distribute councillor memberships to lock us out. This is a repeat of the last term's strategy where the UDF was handed chairmanship despite having only 8 seats, bypassing the BJP which had 17,” he said.

However, both the LDF and UDF have dismissed the conspiracy theories, attributing the outcome to the BJP's internal disarray.

LDF sources argued that elections were only necessitated for the Development and Education committees, claiming the BJP’s failure stemmed from “severe infighting and groupism” that paralysed their decision-making. “They are alleging an LDF-UDF alliance merely to cover up their own embarrassment and lack of coordination,” an LDF leader said.

The Congress (UDF) was equally blunt. “Our goal was to ensure our own representation, not to facilitate the BJP," said a senior Congress leader. “It is not the Congress party's job to help the BJP, which wishes to see a ‘Congress-Mukth Bharat’, secure a majority. They were dreaming of controlling the committees but walked away with nothing but the default seat.”

The governance gridlock ahead
The implications of this defeat extend far beyond bruised egos. In municipal governance, Standing Committees are the engine rooms where projects are vetted, budgets are allocated, and decisions are ratified. With the LDF and UDF controlling five of these six engines, the BJP administration faces a hostile blockade.

“Legally, there is no ‘Opposition’ in a civic body council, but these committees act as the checks and balances. Securing these committees was crucial for us. If we hadn't, the BJP could have unilaterally pushed a communal agenda. Now, if they bring proposals for genuine public service, we will support them. But if they attempt to implement a sectarian agenda, we will block it,” a Congress leader said.

The elections for Standing Committee Chairpersons are scheduled for January 9. The UDF has already declared that its councillors will not vote for either the LDF or BJP candidates, further complicating the math.

For the BJP, emerging as the single largest party is turning into a victory that offers little real advantage. Without control of the Standing Committees, decision-making is likely to be delayed, projects may be stalled, and every administrative move will require fierce negotiation. The historic win in Tripunithura has given the BJP the crown - the Chairperson’s post - but the opposition has successfully kept the sceptre (the Committees), guaranteeing that the days ahead will be anything but smooth.