KOCHI: The re-entry of T K Ashraf, the health standing committee chairman in the outgoing council of the Kochi corporation, into the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has triggered differences, with a couple of women leaders resigning from the party on Saturday in protest.
The move comes after the party decided to field Ashraf, who supported the CPM-led LDF after the 2020 local body election, as the IUML candidate from Division 17 (Kaloor north) in the upcoming local body polls.
The leaders who have resigned are IUML women’s wing Ernakulam district secretary Saji Kabir and district vice-president B A Rejila. Saji will contest independently from Division 2, Kalvathy, this time.
“This is a seat trade within the party. Leaders like us, who worked at the grassroots level, are being denied seats. Ashraf, who contested against the party and supported the LDF to obtain the standing committee chairman post, has now been given a seat in Central Kochi.
There are serious issues with the finalisation of candidates in Kalvathy, Mattancherry, Chakkamadom, and Kaloor South divisions,” Saji alleged. Saji had earlier contested the 2015 LSG polls from Kalvathy but lost to independent candidate Zeenath Rasheed.
Responding to the allegations, IUML Ernakulam district secretary V E Abdul Gafoor said there was no major complaint about Ashraf’s candidature. “The seats were finalised after considering suggestions from party workers. We have not received any serious complaints about Ashraf,” he told TNIE.
Ashraf is a four-term councillor from the Kalvathy and Mattancherry divisions. Rejila, who was an IUML councillor from Mattancherry from 2010 to 2015, told TNIE that she resigned as the party sidelined experienced workers. “I won in the 2010 election from Mattancherry with a majority of 1,800 votes. But when seats were finalised this time, many deserving members were excluded. So I decided to step down,” she said.