The first meeting of the newly elected Council in Palakkad Municipality plunged into chaos over the “careless voting” of a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member in the Municipal Chairperson’s election on December 28.
The dispute began when V. Natesan, BJP Councilor from Ward-3, wanted to withdraw his ballot after “mistakenly” voting for Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Usha instead of BJP candidate K. Priya in the Chairperson’s election.
Noisy scenes followed as the LDF and the United Democratic Front (UDF) opposed Mr. Natesan’s plea and the BJP Councillors stood in support of it.
Mr. Natesan’s vote was later declared invalid.
The BJP has a comfortable majority in Palakkad Municipality having clinched 28 of the 52 seats. BJP fielded K. Priya to the Chairpersons’s post and party district president E. Krishnadas to the Vice-Chairperson’s post.
