The rival fronts are leaving no stone unturned in the battle for Kalamassery and Eloor municipalities, with the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) fielding outgoing chairpersons as candidates this time.
Seema Kannan of the Congress, who became chairperson of the Kalamassery municipality through a draw of lots in 2020, is testing her luck from ward 11 in this election. A.D. Sujil, who became chairperson of the Eloor municipality after winning the previous election from ward 11, will test his electoral credentials for the third time from ward 5 this time.
Ms. Kannan assumed the post of chairperson in a dramatic turn of events in 2020 after the UDF and LDF were tied at 20 seats each in the 42-member council. She was chosen through the draw of lots as the UDF came to power amid a wafer-thin majority, with the support of Independent candidates. She had survived a no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition in December 2022 for want of the required votes to oust her. She exuded confidence in overcoming any chances of an anti-incumbency as the UDF has been in power in the municipality for nearly three decades. “The UDF rule was able to improve the infrastructure facilities in the municipality,” she claimed.
Mr. Sujil remains hopeful of bucking the anti-incumbency trend as the Left has been in power in Eloor municipality since 2015. Though he had served two consecutive terms as a councillor in 2015 and 2020, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] decided to field him again in view of the interesting three-cornered fight emerging in the civic body. He said that the Left rule was able to implement various developmental works across the wards. The municipality also recorded progress in the industrial sector, with the support of the Left government, he said.
Published – November 30, 2025 11:24 pm IST