C.S. Sreeja is set to helm the Nedumangad Municipality in her maiden entry into the 39-member council. The 41-year old CPI(M) worker is expected to sail through the election for the chairperson’s post smoothly on Monday.
While the Left Democratic Front (LDF) has won 27 seats, the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have eight and four seats respectively. The chairperson’s post has been reserved for a SC (Scheduled Caste) woman councillor this time.
However, the talks for finalising the nominee for the post of vice-chairman has hit a roadblock with the CPI (M) opposing CPI’s efforts to retain the post, citing the latter’s dwindling presence in the council.
Third woman
Ms. Sreeja, a first-time councillor, will become the 10th person to lead the council and its third woman chairperson. An ASHA and Kudumbashree worker, she had emerged victorious in the Paramuttom ward by defeating three-time councillor J. Geetha by a margin of 120 votes.
While CPI leader S. Raveendran was tipped to become the vice-chairman, the Nedumangad local area committee of the CPI(M) has thrown a spanner in the plan.
Pointing out that the CPI could only win three seats at the elections, the CPI (M) has now projected its veteran councillor P. Harikesan as its nominee for the post. With several rounds of post-sharing talks coming to a naught, the district leaders of the LDF are expected to intervene to thrash out a solution prior to the election to the post on Monday afternoon.
The election for the chairperson’s post will become a contest between the LDF and the NDA, which will be represented by Vinodini who won the Netta ward, with none of the SC women candidates who were fielded by the UDF managing to win at the polls.
