The United Democratic Front (UDF) has secured a clean sweep in the Kochi Corporation, gaining control of all eight standing committees without the need for a vote. The elections, which concluded on Wednesday, saw the UDF alliance establish a dominant position in the civic body's key administrative panels.
Seamless Election Process Concludes in Two Hours
The entire election procedure for the standing committees began at 10 am and was wrapped up within a mere two hours. Since all positions were filled without contest, the process did not require actual voting. Additional District Magistrate Vinod Raj officiated the elections as the returning officer.
However, the smooth process was briefly marred by a dispute. Several councillors from the Left Democratic Front (LDF) alleged they did not receive formal notices about the election schedule. This led to a situation where most LDF members were absent when the council hall doors were closed at the scheduled start time of 10 am.
Some arriving LDF councillors cited the lack of notice as the reason for their tardiness. As no voting was necessary to finalize the committee formations, these councillors were later permitted to enter the hall.
UDF's Stronghold and Committee Composition
The UDF's unopposed victory is backed by its numerical strength in the 76-member corporation council. The front commands 47 seats, while the LDF holds 22 and the BJP has 6. As per rules, every councillor must be a member of one standing committee.
The committees vary in size. The Finance, Development, and Welfare committees each have 10 members. Meanwhile, the Health, Works, Town Planning, Tax Appeal, and Education & Sports committees comprise nine members each.
UDF Announces Chairperson Candidates
With the committee members in place, the UDF has identified its candidates for the pivotal chairperson positions. The election for these roles is scheduled for 10:30 am on Tuesday.
As per norms, the Deputy Mayor will automatically assume the chairmanship of the Finance Committee. The UDF's proposed slate for the other committees is as follows:
- Welfare Standing Committee: Congress's Antony Painumthura
- Development Standing Committee: Shakritha
- Works Standing Committee: IUML's T K Asharaf
- Health Standing Committee: Seena Gokulan
- Town Planning Standing Committee: P M Naseema
- Education Standing Committee: Jismy Gerald
- Tax Appeal Standing Committee: Either K A Manaf or P D Martin
This decisive outcome consolidates the UDF's administrative control over the Kochi Corporation, setting the stage for its governance agenda in the coming term.
