KOCHI: In a morale booster for the UDF in Kochi corporation, the front successfully moved a no-confidence motion against the LDF supported independent Sanalmon who chairs the town planning standing committee on Monday. The no-confidence motion was passed as all the five councillors turned up at the meeting and voted in favour of the no-confidence motion, while three LDF councillors stood away from attending the meeting.
In the nine-member town planning standing committee, the LDF had five members while the UDF has four members. Following the demise of K K Sivan, an LDF councillor who was a member of town planning standing committee, the strength of LDF in the committee dropped to four. At this juncture, UDF managed to woo M H M Ashraf, an LDF councillor, to their side. After ensuring the support of Ashraf and thereby increasing the front’s strength in the committee to five, the UDF gave notice for moving no-confidence motion against Sanilmon, who chairs the committee with the support of the LDF.
The LDF had given whip to all its members not to attend the meeting. Ashraf, who had already decided to switch sides, turned up and voted in favour of moving the no-confidence motion against Sanalmon. Besides Sanalmon, LDF councillors P S Viju and Rachana stood away from the meeting.
While the UDF is planning to get Ashraf elected as the chairman of the town planning standing committee, the LDF’s move is to take steps to get him disqualified as a people’s representative. According to the LDF leaders, Ashraf had violated the whip and so he would be disqualified.
