'A' group may seek Thrissur Mayor's post

By Our Staff Reporter

THRISSUR, OCT. 2. The `A' group is likely to stake claim for the post of Mayor in the newly-formed Thrissur Corporation though they know that the `I' group dominated DCC(I) is unlikely to yield to the demand.

The Congress(I) has 25 members in the 50-member Corporation while the other UDF partners, KC(M), the Muslim League and the CMP have one member each.

The `A' group is known to be projecting the former vice-chairman of the now extinct Thrissur Municipality, Mr. K. Radhakrishnan, while the `I' group's nominee would be Mr. Jose Kattukakran.

The argument of the `A' group is that even though they have been severely sidelined in the seat allocation by the DCC(I) leadership among the party nominees who have emerged victorious they have a substantial presence. Some of the group sources claim that they have the support of 12 councillors already and with the possible return of the rebel councillor, Mr. Kiran Lazar, their strength would go up to 13.

The `I' group leaders ridiculed this claim and said that the `A' group had been alleging that they have been allocated less than 10 seats in the Thrissur Corporation elections, and after the elections how come their strength has gone up to 13.

The KPCC(I) has authorised the DCC(I) leadership to oversee the election of the chiefs of the newly-elected local bodies including that of the Corporation, and a final decision is likely to emerge after the DCC leaders hold consultations with the party functionaries and other UDF partners on Tuesday.

The `A' group sources said if the DCC is not acceding to their demand to have their nominee as the Mayor now they would insist on an agreement to allot the post to their nominee in the second two-and-a-half year term of the Corporation. But the DCC sources said the election of the Mayor would be a smooth process and no serious differences of opinion are likely to crop up on the issue.

There are also reports that the UDF partners are also bent on pressing for the post of deputy mayor. Both the CMP leader, Mr. M. K. Kannan and the IUML nominee, Dr. Usman, are likely to press for the post in the first half of the term of the Corporation.

Meanwhile the LDF is yet to decide on the selection of the president of the district panchayat where the front has won 11 out of the 21 district panchayat seats to which the elections are already over. According to reliable sources the district CPI leadership has communicated to the LDF leadership here that the decision on the allocation of the posts of the heads of local bodies has to be taken at the State level. The State leadership of the party itself has taken such a decision.

The CPI has not decided which are the local bodies including the district panchayats where they should be making a claim for the chiefs posts. In the case of Thrissur, the CPI is little weary to make a claim in the first half of the district panchayat term, because elections to the six seats in the 27-member panchayat are yet to be held. Among those seats the LDF is not fully confident of winning four seats. The elections to these six wards are likely to be held in November itself, and the CPI might like to avoid the embarrassing situation of having to vacate the post of the district panchayat president within few months of assuming charge.

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Section  : Southern States
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