KOCHI: The move by a section of Congress leaders to oust Soumini Jain from Kochi mayor’s post received a jolt on Tuesday after two councillors coming out in the open affirming their support to the beleaguered leader saying they would resign from the council if she is removed.
Geetha Prabhakaran, Congress councillor from Nambiapuram, and Josemary, an independent councillor from Manassery division, who supports UDF in the corporation, have threatened to resign from the councillor post. This is the first time that Jain gets an open backing from elected members of the corporation.
According to the two councillors, a change of guard in the corporation council is avoidable as only 10 months remain for the council’s term to end. “She is the perfect mayor. This is not the first time the corporation is facing the waterlogging issue. Even some parts of our division were also partially submerged in the flood. Do we have to resign from the post? At present, there is no need to change the mayor,” said Geetha Prabhakaran.
Josemary said the move to remove the mayor is the personal agenda of a few Congress leaders. “Barely 10 months are left for the council’s term to end. If a new mayor takes charge, she can’t do anything in such a short time. This move is part of implementing some Congress leaders’ agenda,” she said.
UDF on sticky wicket
Interestingly, if the two councillors go ahead with their plan and quit, it will result in ending the UDF rule in the corporation. Following the resignation of Deputy Mayor T J Vinodh who was elected to the assembly, the majority of UDF in the corporation has dropped to 37 in the 74-member council. The LDF has 34 councillors and BJP has two members. If the two councillors resign from the post, the majority of UDF councillors in the corporation will come down to 35. Since the support of 37 members is required to lead the council, UDF will then be forced to depend on the two BJP councillors to continue in power.
Meanwhile, the Ernakulam District Congress Committee is upset with the announcement made by the two councillors. While some leaders openly explained the intricacies involved in running the council owing to the move, some ‘I’ group leaders want the KPCC to take a final decision on Wednesday.
Councillors flayed
Speaking to TNIE, M B Muraleedharan, secretary, UDF District Parliamentary Party Committee, said the Congress will go ahead as per its earlier plan.
“It is the responsibility of the workers to accept the party’s decision. The two councillors’ move is politically motivated. If the party changes its earlier stand, it would adversely affect the party in Ernakulam. If the councillors are going ahead with their plan, they will have to face action from the party,” he said.
He also admitted that the decision to change the mayor was not taken in a day or two. “There was an agreement by the ‘A’ and ‘I’ groups to exchange the mayor’s post after two-and-a-half years. It is not because of the recent waterlogging,” Muraleedharan added.