Pala vice chairperson election today: Congress rebel Biju Mathews LDF candidate, UDF fields Sebastian Palackal
Pala Municipality faces a vice chairperson election where LDF's Biju Mathews, a Congress rebel, competes against UDF's Sebastian Palackal. LDF holds a majority, ensuring the election proceeds.
Pala Municipality faces a vice chairperson election where LDF's Biju Mathews, a Congress rebel, competes against UDF's Sebastian Palackal. LDF holds a majority, ensuring the election proceeds.
Pala Municipality faces a vice chairperson election where LDF's Biju Mathews, a Congress rebel, competes against UDF's Sebastian Palackal. LDF holds a majority, ensuring the election proceeds.
Kottayam: Pala municipality will face another closely watched election on Wednesday for the vice chairperson's post. While the LDF has fielded Congress rebel Biju Mathews as its candidate, the UDF has chosen Congress's Sebastian Palackal, its parliamentary party leader. The vice chairperson's post fell vacant after Maya Rahul was elected chairperson.
Biju Mathews and Tony Thaiparambil, both former Congress leaders expelled from the party for defying its whip, had staked their claims to the vice chairperson's post. Municipal Chairperson Maya Rahul and rebel member Rajitha Prakash backed Biju. Tony Thaiparambil is reportedly opposed to the decision.
The LDF has a simple majority even without Tony's support. The election will be held at 11 am on Wednesday.
Of the 26 members in the municipality, the Left has the support of 16: Kerala Congress (M) – 10, CPM – 2, independent member Maya Rahul, and three Congress rebels. Fourteen votes are required for a simple majority. Kerala Congress (M) had earlier said it would field a candidate only if the LDF failed to do so.
The UDF has nine members: Congress – 2, Kerala Congress – 3, Independent Front – 3 and KDP – 1. One Congress rebel member, Lissykutty Mathew, supports the UDF. Binu Pulickakandam, his daughter Diya Binu Pulickakandam and Binu's elder brother Biju Pulickakandam are the three independents aligned with the UDF.
This is the first major test for the Kerala Congress (M)-led Municipality Development Front (Nagara Vikasana Munnani), which recently took charge of the municipality.
The Municipality Development Front was formed shortly before the chairperson election by members of the Save Congress Forum and the KC(M)-led LDF. The election became necessary after Diya Binu Pulickakandam, who had become the country's youngest municipal chairperson, was removed following an LDF-backed no-confidence motion.
Congress subsequently expelled four councillors – Biju Mathews, Tony Thaiparambil, Lissykutty Mathew and Rajita Prakash – from its primary membership for defying the party whip and voting in favour of the motion. While they joined hands with the LDF, Lissykutty later returned to the UDF fold after differences emerged over Maya Rahul's candidature for chairperson.
The State Election Commission has served an anti-defection notice on Pala Municipality Chairperson Maya Rahul and four former Congress councillors, asking them to appear for a hearing on September 22. The notice was issued following complaints filed by the UDF and Binu Pulickakandam.