Congress Backs BJP to Topple LDF Control in Chingoli Panchayat Standing Committees

Karthikappally: The Congress- BJP alliance continues in Chingoli Panchayat, with Congress support ensuring a BJP member secures a key leadership position. In the standing committee chairperson elections held on Monday, the two parties shared positions strategically. Despite having only two members, the BJP, with Congress backing, clinched the standing committee chairmanship. The alliance appears to have collaborated to sideline the LDF, the largest single party, from these influential roles.

BJP member Sheeja Venu was elected chairperson of the Welfare Standing Committee, while Congress members G Sajini and Binu Raj were chosen to lead the Development and Health & Education Standing Committees, respectively. The party composition in the panchayat is as follows: LDF – six, UDF – five, BJP – two, and Independents – one.

In Monday’s vote for the Welfare Standing Committee, BJP members Sheeja Venu and Vinod received support from five Congress members and the independent member from Ward 6, Subi Sudhakar, securing victory with eight votes each. For the Development and Health & Education committees, Congress candidates won with the two BJP members casting supporting votes. G. Sajini and Meenakumari won the Development committee, while Binu Raj and Mini Srejesh secured the Health & Education committee, each receiving eight votes.

The LDF organised a protest in front of the Chingoli Panchayat office against the “unholy Congress- BJP alliance” and against MLA Ramesh Chennithala, accusing him of undermining public interest. Demonstrators, including LDF panchayat members B Krishnakumar, A M Naushad, K N Nibu, Saritha Jayaprakash, C P Radhakrishnan, A Sajan, CPI M local secretary P Prajeesh, and CPI local secretary Pramod, led the protest and burned an effigy of Chennithala.