The Standing Committees of the Kochi Corporation is likely to witness reshuffling soon as the I faction of the Congress has decided to go ahead with its demand for a change in leadership and various Standing Committee chairpersons’ posts.
With the civic administrators, including the Mayor, completing two and a half years in office the I group has demanded the reshuffling of various Standing Committee chairpersons.
“The Standing Committee chairpersons were selected two and a half years ago. There was an understanding between both the factions that the Standing Committees would be reshuffled after completion of half the tenure of the present Council,” said a source close to the I faction. He said that the Kerala Yatra of KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala would conclude on May 18 and the I faction would bring the issue, including a leadership change, into his notice after that.
But the A faction totally rejected the prospects of any change in leadership. Since Mayor Tony Chammany was selected for the Mayoral post after an election presided over by senior Congress leader Thalekkunnil Basheer, the A faction believes that a leadership change will not be easy.
“The party will go for an understanding between the groups only in a situation where both the factions have a majority. But here A Group has a clear majority with 29 members against 12. So a leadership change is not possible even now,” said a councillor who belongs to the A faction.
But the I Group members refuted this claim and said that the equations have changed now. “The equations are not the same now. It was 29-12 at the time when Chammany was sworn in as Mayor. But now, the I group has the support from some members of the other group too. Even if the A Group demands an election for leadership change, the situation will not be the same. So the top leadership of the Congress cannot reject the demand of the I faction for a leadership change,” he said.
The I Group representatives also said that they had earlier reached a consensus with A Group for replacing all its standing committee chairpersons after they complete two-and-a-half years in office.
Currently, the Congress controls Finance, Works, Welfare, Tax Appeal and Sports and Culture Standing Committees. “The Health Standing Committee chairperson belongs to Muslim League and Town Planning Standing Committee chairman is from Socialist Janatha. We will also demand a reshuffle in these Standing committees,” sources said.