Wayanad: Months after losing the Mooppainad grama panchayat president's post in a dramatic draw of lots, the LDF has turned the tables, removing UDF president C V Sudha through a no-confidence motion passed by a one-vote margin on Monday.

The motion, moved by LDF member Suresh Babu, brought Sudha's tenure to an end and dealt a setback to the UDF, which had held control of the local body for the past 25 years.

The president's post in Mooppainad is reserved for a Scheduled Tribe (ST) member. The IUML had fielded Sudha, an ST candidate, from one of its strongholds to ensure that the UDF had an eligible candidate for the post if it came to power.

The election of the president had earlier taken an unexpected turn. Though the LDF had nine members in the 17-member panchayat council compared to the UDF's eight, one LDF vote was declared invalid during the presidential election. This resulted in an 8-8 tie, forcing officials to conduct a draw of lots.

The draw went in favour of Sudha, allowing the UDF to retain the president's post despite being outnumbered in the council.

However, the LDF continued to hold control over other key positions, including the vice-president's post and chairperson positions of various standing committees, creating an unusual situation where the president belonged to the UDF while most administrative positions were held by the LDF.

CPM leader V Kesavan said the arrangement affected the functioning of the panchayat. “We paid a heavy price for the carelessness of one of our members,” Kesavan told Onmanorama, referring to the invalid vote that cost the LDF the president's post. He said the Left faced difficulties in administration as the top post remained with the UDF despite the LDF having a numerical advantage in the council.

With Sudha removed, the LDF is expected to stake claim to the president's post again. Kesavan, the only ST member in the LDF camp, is likely to be its candidate for the post.