Pala Municipality chairperson Diya Binu Pulickakandam ousted as no-confidence motion passes

Pala municipality chairperson Diya Binu Pulickakandam was removed from office on Tuesday after a no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition LDF was passed in the council, with four Congress councillors defying the party whip and voting against her.

With her removal, Diya, who was the country's youngest municipal chairperson at the age of 21, ceased to hold the post less than a year after assuming office.

The motion was carried after four Congress councillors defied party whip and voted in favour of the no-confidence motion. Independent councillor and deputy chairperson Maya Rahul was also present at the meeting. In total, 17 councillors supported the motion. 

The Congress rebellion proved decisive in the 26-member council. The UDF-led alliance had a slender majority with 14 councillors, while the LDF had 12 members, comprising 10 Kerala Congress (M) councillors and two CPM members. However, the cross-voting by Congress members tilted the numbers in favour of the motion.

Of the 6 Congress councillors, Biju Mathews, Tony Thaiparambil, Lissykutty Mathew and Rajita Prakash supported the motion, while Riya Cheeramkuzhy and Sebastian J Panackal were not present in the council. Three Kerala Congress members and a KDP councillor were also not present. 

Following the vote, Congress councillor Tony Thaiparambil said that he had not received the whip to break it. "We haven't received the whip till now. I arrived from Vagamon in the morning and came directly to the council," he told the media. He added that the vote reflects the common sentiment of the people of Pala. 

Diya was elected chairperson with the support of her father, Binu Pulickakandam, and uncle, Biju Pulickakandam, who contested as part of an independent collective. Their support had enabled the UDF to wrest control of the Pala municipality from the Kerala Congress (M), ending the latter's long-standing dominance in the civic body.

Relations between the Congress and the independent collective deteriorated amid allegations that the latter had grown closer to the Left. The immediate flashpoint was the municipality's decision to grant permission to the DYFI to hold its district conference at the Kottaramattom bus stand despite the Congress resolving to oppose it. Congress leaders alleged that members of the independent collective deliberately stayed away from the council meeting in which the proposal was considered, allowing it to be passed.

Binu Pulickakandam rejected the allegation, saying permission for public programmes was a routine administrative decision and that political affiliation could not be grounds for rejecting an application. "We were absent because we were attending the funeral of a close neighbour," he said.

Political tensions escalated further after Diya accused Congress councillor Biju Mathews of stealing her expensive watch and official files from the chairperson's office. The complaint came days after Biju Mathews alleged that Binu Pulickakandam and Biju Pulickakandam had assaulted him during a dispute over relocating an autorickshaw stand. Diya alleged that the watch and files went missing after Biju Mathews, accompanied by police officers acting on his complaint, entered the municipal office in her absence.

Earlier, Maya Rahul, whose election as deputy chairperson with the support of the independent collective helped the UDF capture power, dismissed speculation over her future political alignment. She said she would abide by the UDF's decision, adding that the present crisis had escalated because minor differences were not resolved in time. Pointing out that no front enjoys an outright majority in the council, she said cooperation was essential for stable governance, especially when the municipality was facing financial challenges.