Upbeat Shaji set to win
Kunneparambu East councillor Shaji Vazhakkala, 43, of the Congress is also set to become the chairman of Thrikkakara municipality.
Kochi: Kunneparambu East councillor Shaji Vazhakkala, 43, of the Congress is also set to become the chairman of Thrikkakara municipality at the polls on Monday. Shaji’s candidature was finalised following hectic parleys initiated by Benny Behanan, MLA, here, on Sunday.
The elections will be held in the municipal hall at 11 am on Monday. The Congress has 25 councillors in the 43-member municipal council. The election was necessitated by the resignation of P.I. Mohammedali following a long campaign for his removal by the ‘I’ group in the party, citing an earlier agreement.
But a crisis had developed in the party later with the faction supporting Mohammedali insisted that it should be given the post of works standing committee chairperson as per the agreement under which he relinquished the post. Ajitha Thankappan of the ‘I’ group is the present chairperson of the works standing committee.
Party sources said that the ‘A’ group agreed on Shaji’s candidature following an assurance that it would be handed back the chairperson post for the last one year of the council’s term.