Urban News

In the 30-member Angamaly municipal council, C K Varghese of the Congress was elected chairman (15-13). Two votes were found invalid. Ironically, the vote cast by C K Varghese himself was declared invalid after he reportedly forgot to put his signature on the ballot paper, a mandatory procedure. The vote of Siju, a UDF councillor, was also declared invalid for the same reason.

Independent councillors Vilson Mundadan and K A Poulose helped the UDF attain power after they cast their votes in favour of the UDF.  

In Aluva, M T Jacob of the Congress was elected chairman unopposed after the LDF councillors staged a walkout prior to the election. The LDF, which had only two councillors, could not even field a chairman candidate technically as it had nobody to second if one proposed the name of the other.  

The LDF saved its face by staging a walkout from the council hall after  signing. Basheer, an Independent councillor, who was present in the hall,  refused to cast his vote.

It was a great relief for the Congress party in the 29-member Paravoor municipal council after its Valsala Prasannakumar was elected    chairperson (15-13). In the polls, the Congress had bagged 14 wards while the   LDF secured 13 wards. Two Independents, K S Shahul Hameed and Viswanatha Menon, were also elected to the council. The Congress managed to wrest power by ensuring the support of Shahul Hameed by offering him the post of vice-chairman. Another Independent, Viswanatha Menon, refused to cast vote for either the UDF or the LDF.

However, the Congress suffered a major setback in the Puthenvelikkara panchayat after Daisy Tomy, who won the election to the grama panchayat as a Congress candidate, defeated the official president candidate Sheena Sebastian of the same party (9-8) after aligning herself with the Left.

In the elections, the UDF had won 9 wards while the LDF managed to secure 8 wards in the 17-member panchayat Committee.

In the elections to the post of vice-president, Dewyi John of the CPI was elected. She defeated P K Ullas of the Congress (9-8).

In Keezhumad grama panchayat, the LDF members boycotted the election to the post of vice-president in protest against the apathy of the

panchayat secretary in taking action against those who dumped loads of wastes from the Aluva town at Chunangamveli.

The LDF panchayat committee members gheravoed the panchayat secretary on Monday afternoon when she hesitated to take immediate action to remove the waste.

However, Ramesh of the UDF was declared elected vice-president of the Keezhumad panchayat. Lysa Sebastian was elected president on Monday morning (11-8).

In other municipalities and panchayats, the elections to the posts of chairman, vice-chairman and president and vice-president were normal on the expected lines.