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2d ago

Eight Congress Members Quit, Vote With BJP to Elect Independent as Mattathur Panchayat President

Congress imposes suspensions after the vote with rebels rejecting defection claims.

In the recent local body elections, the LDF won 10 seats, the UDF eight, the NDA four, while two independents were elected.
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Overview

  • Independent Tessy Jose Kallarakkal won the presidency with 12 votes from eight resigned Congress ward members and three BJP councillors, with one BJP vote ruled invalid, while LDF-backed K. R. Ouseph received 10 votes.
  • The result ended the Left Democratic Front’s 23-year control of the 24-member Mattathur grama panchayat in Thrissur district.
  • KPCC chief Sunny Joseph suspended DCC general secretary T. M. Chandran and mandalam president Shafi Kalluparambil, and the district unit later announced suspensions for 10 ward members tied to the episode.
  • The eight ward members and local Congress figures denied joining the BJP and described their votes as a local political decision, as Opposition leader V. D. Satheesan termed the move a party-whip violation rather than a defection.
  • Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan portrayed the outcome as Congress decay boosting BJP prospects, and the Congress district leadership said it would approach the Election Commission over alleged anti-defection breaches.