New Mayors Elected in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: V K Minimol from the Congress party was elected Mayor of the Kochi Corporation on Friday.A four-time councillor and state vice president of the Mahila Congress, she won with 48 votes, defeating CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Jagathambika Sudarshan, who got 22 votes, while BJP-led NDA’s Priya Prashanth received six.Congress leader and KPCC general secretary Deepthi Mary Varghese had voiced her disagreement with the mayoral selection process, skipped the oath-taking ceremony, and left the council hall right after congratulating the new Mayor.Dr. Niji Justin’s election as Mayor of the Thrissur Corporation stirred protests from Congress councillor Lali James, who accused the party of selling the position for cash. Speaking to the media, she alleged that candidates for the role approached district Congress leaders with bags of money. Claiming the post was rightfully hers, Lali said, “I was sidelined because I didn’t have money,” and asserted that the deals had been finalized two days earlier. State Congress leaders dismissed the claims, insisting the selection was done democratically after consulting all elected UDF councillors.In Kannur, Congress leader P. Indira became the new Mayor after winning the Payyambalam ward by a margin of 48 votes.In Kollam, A. K. Hafeez from the Congress was elected Mayor with 27 votes against the LDF’s 16, while BJP-led NDA members abstained.In Kozhikode, CPI(M)’s O. Sadashivan took charge as Mayor, with Dr. S. Jayasree stepping in as the new Deputy Mayor.



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