KOCHI: Kalamassery Municipality, one of the richest civic bodies in the state generating tax revenues from LuLu Mall and the industrial belt comprising Apollo Tyres, public sector HMT and Kinfra Hi-Tech Park, is quiet but getting ready for a big battle for power.With hardly a week to go to the polls, candidates have embarked on the final round of electioneering in the municipality, considered a UDF bastion, which has been ruling the civil body for the last 25 years.
While the ruling UDF has been reeling out its achievements in governance to retain power, its only problem is the menace posed by rebels in as many as five wards. The CPM, which is attempting to wrest power in an all-out attempt through rigorous door-to-door campaigning, however, is caught in its own problems. For one, the dissidence following the ouster of former area committee secretary V A Zakir Hussain is sure to affect its chances. The BJP-led NDA, meanwhile, is trying to open its account this time in the local body. The UDF, which has been ruling the municipality since 1995, is confident that it will retain power easily this time too.
Congress leader Jamal Manakkadan, a three-time chairman of the municipality, is contesting this time from ward 22 (Punnakattu) eyeing the chairman’s post. According to his political rivals, Manakkadan, an ‘I’ group member, considers the civic body as his party fiefdom and he might be elected chairman again if the Election Commission allocates the post to the general category.
The chairman’s post in Kalamassery was allotted to the SC woman category, but a petition has been filed before the High Court citing that it is for the second consecutive time the chairman’s post has been reserved in the civic body. The HC has asked the State Election Commission to take a decision. “If the order is in favour, Jamal Manakkadan will be the chairman. Even otherwise, he will do the backseat driving after appointing his nominee as the SC chairperson,” said a senior leader who requested anonymity.
During the just-ended term, his wife Rukhiya Jamal replaced Jessy Peter, an ‘A’ group representative, as per the power-sharing between the two Congress groups and thus he controlled the power in the local body.The civic body has been in news several times for the factional feud in the ruling Congress and irregularities in the audit report of various developmental projects.
Kalamassery Municipality, spread over 27.50 sq km with a population of 70,000, generates about Rs 10 crore as property tax annually, Rs 5 crore in professional tax and Rs 6 crore in entertainment tax. LuLu Mall and the luxury hotel Marriott at Edappally have raised the municipality’s revenue.A M Yusuf, LDF leader and former MLA, who is secretary of the LDF election committee, said the local body will witness the fall of Manakkadan this time.
“The people are fed up with the corruption and apathy of UDF during the past 25 years. Besides, the rebels and internal issues in UDF will lead to the end of the Congress regime in Kalamassery this time,” he said.The LDF is also facing challenges from a rebel, Bindhu Manoharan, a councillor from ward 34, in ward 39 (Vattekunnam). However, Yusuf said she was granted a seat in ward 34 but she denied it and filed her nomination in ward 39 against the party direction.
“There is no rift in LDF or CPM and the workers are united in campaigning for the victory of LDF’s candidates,” he said. The candidature of Bindhu will not affect the LDF prospects in any way, according to Yusuf.However, Congress leader and former chairperson Jessy Peter said UDF will retain power, dismissing reports that the rebel menace would affect its prospects.
Shaji Muthedan, BJP Kalamassery mandalam president, said. “The party has improved its support base at the grass-root level and we are expecting to win at least three seats,” he added.The highest number of candidates in the fray is in ward 41, which is allocated to IUML in UDF. As many as seven candidates, five of them being UDF rebels, are trying their luck from the ward.
In the outgoing council, UDF has 27 councillors
Ruling UDF
Congress: 22
IUML: 5
Opposition (LDF: 15)
CPM: 14
Cong (S): 1
Seat sharing for coming polls
UDF: Congress-32,
IUML-10
LDF: CPM-33, CPI-7,
Cong (S) – 1, NCP – 1
NDA: BJP -- 22, BDJS -- 3