After a fiercely-fought electoral battle which saw the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) make significant gains, the newly elected members to the local bodies in the State will take the oath of office on Monday.
In the vast majority of the local bodies, the elected members will assume office on Monday itself. Members will take the oath at later dates in two block panchayats and six grama panchayats in Malappuram district where the five-year term of the previous council did not expire on December 20, 2020, according to the State Election Commission (SEC).
Given the COVID-19 scenario in the State, the ceremonies will be held in strict accordance to the protocol, the commission said. In the three-tier panchayats and municipalities, the ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m. and in the six municipal Corporations at 11.30 a.m.
Elections were held in 1,199 local bodies (except Mattannur municipality), including 941 grama panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 86 municipalities, 14 district panchayats and six Corporations, in three phases on December 8, 10 and 14. The 2020 edition of the local body polls had assumed added significance with the Assembly polls due next year and the prospects of the BJP, particularly in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, becoming a keenly-debated topic.
In the grama, block and district panchayats, the respective returning officers will administer the oath to the oldest member in the council. The latter, in turn, will administer the oath to the remaining members. In the municipalities, returning officers appointed by the commission will supervise the proceedings. District Collectors will administer the oath of office to the oldest members in the Corporations.
Elected members who are COVID-19 patients or in quarantine also will take the oath of office on Monday. They will be allowed to take the oath attired in PPE kits after all other members have completed the procedure. The commission had directed members who had tested positive or were in quarantine to inform the returning officers beforehand so that the necessary arrangements could be made.
The council heads and deputy heads of municipalities and municipal Corporations will be elected on December 28. The elected council heads and deputy heads of the three-tier panchayats will take charge on December 30.
