KOCHI: The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) got a simple majority in the Kochi Corporation, after a councillor withdrew her support to the main Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
Mary Kalista Prakashan, Mundamveli division Councillor, who won as a UDF rebel, switched allegiance on Monday, alleging that she and her husband were harassed by Congress members in her ward.
With Mary Kalista joining the ruling combine, the LDF now has 37 seats in the 74-member corporation council and the UDF 31 seats, with the BJP having five members.
“My husband, K J Prakashan and myself were harassed mentally and verbally by several UDF members, besides death threats and intimidation through social media or the past several months,” said Mary Kalista. “Despite reporting this kind of harassment to a prominent UDF MP, no remedial action has been taken so far,” she said, explaining her decision to switch sides. For the past 25 years, Mary and her husband Prakashan have been winning consistently from the Mundamveli division.
She also said that the UDF members would look for any opportunity to harass her husband and herself, who were diehard Congress supporters for several years. “After I announced my decision to withdraw support, the Congress leaders called me up, promising to address all the issues. Now, it is too late for them to act, as I will not change my stand. As a councillor, I have always worked for the betterment of people and will continue to do so,” she said.
The Congress had denied a seat to Mary Kalista in the last civic elections and she decided to contest independently with the support of CMP and won. Nonetheless, she chose to support the UDF in the corporation.The ruling LDF enjoys the backing of three independent councillors, two of whom had contested as UDF rebels. The Gandhinagar division had fallen vacant following the demise of LDF councillor K K Sivan.