After a tense week of uncertainty, the Congress party in Kochi has finally resolved the deadlock over the prestigious mayor's post for the Kochi Municipal Corporation. The party leadership has decided to implement a unique power-sharing formula, splitting the mayor's tenure equally between its two internal factions, the 'I' group and the 'A' group.
A Power-Sharing Formula to Break the Impasse
According to the consensus reached after intense consultations with the newly elected Congress councillors, V K Minimol of the I group will serve as the mayor for the first half of the council's term. For the subsequent half, Shiny Mathew of the A group will take over the reins. A similar arrangement has been made for the deputy mayor's position, with Deepak Joy (A group) serving the first term and K V P Krishnakumar (I group) the second.
The formal election for the mayoral and deputy mayoral posts is scheduled for December 26. This decision brings closure to a significant political stalemate that emerged following the local body elections, where the United Democratic Front (UDF) secured a commanding 46 out of 76 seats, decisively defeating the previous ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) which managed only 20 seats. The Congress alone holds 42 councillors in the new council.
The Contenders and the Community Factor
The impasse was particularly complex as three strong women candidates were eligible for the mayor's post, which is reserved for women. The contenders included KPCC general secretary Deepthi Mary Varghese, Mahila Congress state vice-president V K Minimol, and Shiny Mathew. An internal opinion poll among the 42 Congress councillors revealed a close contest: 20 backed Shiny Mathew, 17 supported V K Minimol, and only three favoured Deepthi Mary Varghese.
A key factor influencing the decision was the demand from the Latin Catholic Church, which had openly advocated for the mayor to be chosen from their community. With the Latin Catholic population forming a major voter base in Kochi, there was considerable speculation that Shiny Mathew might be chosen to appease this demographic. The final decision, described as considering "various factors," was taken by the KPCC based on a list sent by the District Congress Committee (DCC).
Winning Margins and Allegations
The newly chosen leaders come with strong electoral mandates. V K Minimol won from the Palarivattom division with a solid majority of 856 votes against her CPM rival, R Ratheesh. She will also chair the public works standing committee. Shiny Mathew secured a massive victory from Fort Kochi ward, defeating her JDS opponent by a margin of 1,082 votes.
For the deputy mayor post, Deepak Joy won from Ayyappankavu with 1,970 votes, while K V P Krishnakumar faced a nail-biting contest in Ernakulam South, clinching victory by a razor-thin margin of just 21 votes against his BJP counterpart.
However, the process has not been without controversy. Deepthi Mary Varghese publicly stated that no official party core committee meeting was held to select the mayor and that she was not formally informed about the election. She also alleged that the party's established criteria for electing the Kochi mayor were not followed. Despite these allegations, the Congress source maintained that the plan to choose the mayor after discussions with new councillors was decided even before the elections, paving the way for this unprecedented term-sharing arrangement in the commercial capital of Kerala.
