KOCHI: The 74 newly-elected members of the Kochi Corporation council were sworn in as councillors on Thursday.
In an hour-long oath-taking ceremony, District Collector M G Rajamanickam, who is also the returning officer and Mayor in-charge, administered the oath of office to Muhammed Hamakunju, the eldest member of the new governing committee.
Hamsakunju, later, administered the oath to other 73 councilors. Shiny Mathew, who won from Fort Kochi, first took the oath from Hamsakunju. Most of the councilors took their oath in the name of God. Out of the 74 councilors, 41 are newbies. Saneesha Ajeeb who won from the Chakkamadom division is the youngest member in the council.
Though the ceremony started in a serious note, it also opened the door to some wit and humour when Hamsakunju asked the sitting Councilor T K Ashraf about his new white cap.
Humour came to the fore again when the comrades of Thampi Subramaniyam raised slogans to support him a few seconds before he went to take oath, but Hamsakunju humourously asked “what is the need of slogans even after the polls?”
Though the ceremony was sheduled to be held at 11.30 am, the relatives and friends of the councilors thronged the council hall. As many as 500 people witnessed the oath-taking ceremony. The temporary screen erected in front of the Corporation was a boon to the family members who failed to enter the council hall.
The first council was dispersed around 1 pm after a meeting for nearly 15 minutes under Hamsakunju. The election of mayor and deputy mayor of the Corporation Council will be held on November 18.