No-confidence motion served on BJP municipality

PALAKKAD: Pushing municipal administration into uncertainty, the United Democratic Front (UDF) submitted a notice for a no-conidence motion against four standing committee chairmen in the Palakkad Municipality, the lone municipality in Kerala which is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kozhikode Municipal secretary Moonmayi Joshi who also holds the responsibility of regional joint director of municipal administration, received the notices, submitted by various UDF councillors.

According to District Congress Committee president VK Sreekantan, another notice will be submitted against chairman of standing committee for education next week.

As per municipal rules, the council meeting should be called within 15 days after the notice is submitted.

In the 52-member municipality, the BJP is the biggest single party with 24 members. UDF has 18 members with the Congress accounting for 12 and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), ive. An Independent candidate belonging to UDF does not have the right to vote on the basis of a court verdict, effectively reducing the voting strength of UDF in the municipal council. Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPIM) which heads Left Democratic Front (LDF) has nine members. Lone member of the Welfare Party extends issue-based support to LDF.

In this scenario, the CPIM stand on the non-conidence motion will decide the fate of BJP rule. However, the party is yet to open up on the issue. CPIM district secretary CK Rajendran said the other day that his party will make its stand clear at the appropriate time. In view of the sharp rift in the party at the national level whether to support Congress to defeat BJP, a decision in the local body would not be easy. Congress leaders expect CPIM to support the no conidence motion despite ideological polarisation in the party.

On April 7, the district committee had decided to move a no-conidence motion against the municipal administration.

This is the irst time that the BJPled Palakkad municipal administration is facing a no-conidence motion since it came to power in November, 2015. In the election to the post of chairperson, both the Congress and the CPIM had ielded candidates, resulting in a three-way contest which helped BJP’S Prameela Sasidharan to scrape through.