KOCHI: Mayor M Anilkumar dismissed a corporation meeting and stormed out of the council hall here on Thursday, following a heated argument with opposition councillors over holding the session when the election code of conduct was in force. While adjourning the meeting, Anilkumar said that the next meeting would be held after the Ernakulam South division by-election on May 17. Sources noted projects in the city were likely to be delayed, as the local body poll would be followed by the assembly by-election in Thrikkakara.
“The code of conduct for the elections will be issued in a couple of weeks. Kochi corporation’s 22 divisions fall under the Thrikkakara constituency, further delaying the council meeting,” councillors said.
Meanwhile, the opposition councillors said they had asked the mayor to discuss the agendas related to the day-to-day activities and to seek the collector’s permission to approve other work files.
“The agenda for the council included a tender for the construction of an office building at the Brahmapuram waste plant,” said UDF leader Antony Kureethara. “We had handed over a letter to the mayor, asking him to remove agendas falling within the ambit of the code of conduct.” The code of conduct states that no new development activities, announcements, or policy decisions should be made in the division announced for election. “Agendas affecting the code of conduct can be postponed, if pointed out by the opposition,” Anilkumar said.
If any questions had been answered during the argument with the UDF councillors, they would allege that the mayor violated the election protocol, he added. “Keeping all this in mind, I dismissed the council meeting and will call it only after May 17,” the mayor said.