Days after the results of the local body polls in Kottayam were announced, uncertainty continues over the formation of administrative council in four out of the six municipalities in Kottayam.
While the Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front have a clear majority in Pala and Erattupetta respectively, the coalitions could not ensure the minimum numbers in Kottayam, Changanassery, Vaikom, and Ettumanoor municipalities to come into power.
While the UDF holds the upper hand in Vaikom and Ettumanoor municipalities, LDF has a slight lead in Changanassery and Kottayam municipalities. However, the stance of the Independents is going to be most crucial for the coalitions coming to power in these urban bodies.
Official sources said that informal consultations were going on in the municipalities to form the new council. For instance, both UDF and LDF have reached out to Bincy Sebastian, an Independent councillor in Kottayam, seeking her support to form the council. In Changanassery, consultations are going on in between the three Independents and the coalitions regarding a power-sharing agreement.
The UDF that has won 11 seats in Vaikom requires the support of just one out of the two Independents to capture power. At the same time, the stance of the three Independents in Ettumanur becomes crucial for the UDF and the LDF, which have won 13 and 12 seats respectively.
In panchayats
Meanwhile, the LDF is expected to come into power in 39 out of the 71 grama panchayats whereas the UDF has won 20. The NDA has managed to obtain a clear majority in only one panchayat.
In the remaining 11 panchayats, where none has a clear majority, Independents will decide the fate of the councils. At the same time, LDF will be ruling all but one of the 11 block panchayats as well as the Kottayam district panchayat.
The new members elected to the local bodies will be sworn in on December 21. While the chairpersons and vice chairpersons of the municipalities will be elected on December 28, the election of presidents and vice presidents of the panchayats will take place on December 30.
