UDF picks four-time councillor VR Sudheer for Kochi Deputy Mayor; election on Wednesday

Kochi: The United Democratic Front (UDF) has nominated four-time councillor V R Sudheer as its candidate for the Kochi Corporation Deputy Mayor election, which will be held at 11 am on Wednesday.

The election became necessary after former Deputy Mayor Deepak Joy resigned from the post on May 13 following his election as the MLA from Thripunithura. With the UDF enjoying a comfortable majority in the 74-member Kochi Corporation Council, Sudheer is widely expected to be elected unless there is any unexpected cross-voting.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has fielded P J Yesudas, councillor from the Nazareth division, while the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has nominated Jalaja S Acharya, councillor from the Thrikkanarvattom division, making it a triangular contest.

Sudheer, who represents the Elamakkara South division, emerged as the Congress nominee after days of intense discussions within the party over factional equations and community representation.

The decision was not straightforward. Under an earlier understanding within the Congress, key positions in the Kochi Corporation were to be shared between the party’s ‘A’ and ‘I’ factions, with each group holding them for two-and-a-half years.

While Deepak Joy belonged to the ‘A’ faction, senior councillor K V P Krishnakumar represented the ‘I’ faction. Krishnakumar, who had also been presiding over Corporation council meetings after Deepak Joy’s resignation, staked a strong claim to the Deputy Mayor’s post, citing both his seniority and the earlier power-sharing agreement.

However, leaders of the ‘A’ faction insisted that the Deputy Mayor’s post should remain with their faction for the rest of the Corporation’s term.

They reportedly argued that Mayor V K Minimol belongs to the ‘I’ faction, and Shiny Mathew, also from the same faction, is expected to succeed her during the second half of the Corporation’s tenure. Allowing the Deputy Mayor’s post to shift to the ‘I’ faction as well would have resulted in both top executive positions being controlled by the same group.

Community considerations also reportedly played a role in the final selection. Since Mayor V K Minimol belongs to the Latin Catholic community, the Congress leadership decided against nominating another candidate from the same community for the Deputy Mayor’s post, eventually settling on Sudheer as a consensus choice.

Sudheer’s candidature was formally approved at a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party attended by District Congress Committee (DCC) President Mohammed Shiyas, MLAs T J Vinod, Tony Chammany and Deepak Joy, along with senior party leaders N Venugopal, Dominic Presentation, Ajay Tharayil, and Deepti Mary Varghese.

Following the meeting, Mohammed Shiyas felicitated Sudheer by presenting him with a garland.

Election to end two-month vacancy
Tuesday’s election will end a vacancy that has lasted for more than two months and has drawn criticism from the opposition.

The LDF had repeatedly alleged that the prolonged delay had created an ‘administrative impasse’, pointing out that the Deputy Mayor also serves as the ex-officio chairperson of the Corporation’s Finance Standing Committee, one of the civic body’s most important committees.