KANNUR: When poll fervour gripped every part of the district, which went to the polls on Monday, there was one municipality which felt left out. While party leaders and workers were busy coordinating their campaign and election work, residents of Mattannur, the lone municipality where elections are not being held, watched it all with detachment as their turn would come only in 2022.
“It is sad that we are always excluded from the general frenzy around us during the local body elections,” said P Sudheesh, a resident of Mattannur. Anitha Venu, chairperson of Mattannur municipality, said, “It is true that we are a bit disappointed that we are not part of this general enthusiasm.” A traditional left bastion, Mattannur always has favoured the LDF and the municipality’s present strength shows an upper hand for the left front which has 28 councillors in the 35-member council.
“Had elections to Mattannur held along with other municipalities, we could have reaped the benefits of the present LDF government’s development activities,” she said. In 1990, the LDF government led by E K Nayanar had issued an order upgrading Mattannur grama panchayat to a municipality. However, following protests from various quarters, including UDF, the UDF government which came to power in 1991, rescinded the order.
The LDF then moved court and got a stay on the order. Due to this, Mattannur, in effect, remained neither a municipality nor a panchayat for a few years since 1991. When LDF came to power in 1996, Mattannur was upgraded to a municipality and ever since the first municipal elections that were held in 1997, LDF won the five consecutive elections here including the last one held in 2017. “The next elections will be held in August 2022 and we hope to repeat the success then too,” said Anitha.