V Rajendra Babu likely to be new Kollam Mayor

KOLLAM: V Rajendra Babu is likely to be elected as the new Mayor of Kollam Corporation on March 16.

 The CPM leadership has taken a decision in this regard. However, his name will be announced only after the meeting of the CPM councillors and the LDF meeting scheduled on Tuesday morning.

 Rajendra Babu, an advocate by profession, was the leader of the SFI. He was also elected as the chairman of the Kerala University Union. He represents the Uliyacoil East division in the council and is the chairman of the standing committee on tax.

 A member of the Kollam area committee of the party, Rajendra Babu belongs to the Pinarayi faction. The UDF will field George D Kattil, the leader of the Congress party in the council, as its candidate.

 In the 52-member council, the LDF has a strength of 38 members (CPM 23, CPI 12 and RSP 3) and the UDF has 14 members (Congress 11, IUML, CMP and RSP (M) one each).

 The election was necessitated by the resignation of N.Padmalochanan, who was asked by the CPM district committee to resign from the post following the controversy over attending a function of the RSS.

Though the CPI had earlier staked its claim to the Mayor’s post during the last one year, it did not press for it this time owing to obvious reasons.