Congress Faces Internal Crisis Over Kochi Mayor Selection as Factionalism, Community Pressure Intensify

Kochi: The Congress party is facing an internal crisis over the selection of the Mayor of the Kochi Municipal Corporation. Open dissent by councillors and senior leaders, who have split into rival groups, has put the party leadership in a difficult position. Along with personal ambitions, community pressure has also emerged as a major headache for the Congress. The controversy escalated after Deepti Mary Varghese, who was widely expected to become mayor, was sidelined.

Instead of Deepti, the A and I factions of the Congress jointly decided to appoint V K Minimol and Shiny Mathew as mayors under a term-sharing arrangement. The Latin Catholic Church had demanded that one of them be given the mayor’s post, as both belong to the Latin Catholic community. A similar demand was raised in 2015 when the UDF came to power, though at that time the community received only the deputy mayor post. Tony Chammany was the last Latin Catholic mayor.

Citing the decisive influence of the Church in the district, Congress leaders feared political repercussions if the demand was ignored. As a result, the party opted for a term arrangement, triggering strong opposition from Deepti Mary Varghese, who is also KPCC General Secretary. She has lodged a formal complaint with the party leadership, alleging that party guidelines were violated.

According to Deepti, the District Congress Committee (DCC) president had earlier stated that the mayoral candidate would be decided by the core committee after the parliamentary party meeting. However, the core committee never convened. She also alleged that KPCC circulars giving priority to senior office-bearers were ignored. “Those who made the decision must answer,” she said publicly.

DCC president Muhammed Shiyas rejected Deepti’s allegations, stating that reports claiming she would be mayor were false. He said the decision was taken after consultations with Congress leaders and councillors, based on party norms, with experience being the primary criterion.

However, the controversy deepened when senior Congress leader Ajay Tharayil and KPCC General Secretary M R Abhilash publicly criticized the decision. Ajay Tharayil alleged that KPCC guidelines were violated, the core committee did not meet, and councillors were threatened by group leaders, even visiting their homes the previous night. He said he was unaware of the decision despite being assigned responsibility by the KPCC. Declaring support for Deepti, he announced a fight against group politics.

M R Abhilash echoed these concerns, stating that the mayoral and deputy mayoral announcements were made against KPCC norms and were unacceptable. He emphasized that if a KPCC office-bearer is in contention, they should be given priority. He also claimed that those with greater majority support were overlooked and said the matter should be answered by Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan. Abhilash himself is a core committee member responsible for mayoral decisions.

Reports indicate that Deepti’s mayoral bid was backed mainly by K C Venugopal, while Satheesan and the DCC were opposed. Satheesan’s faction supported V K Minimol, citing organizational experience, tradition, and Church backing. Shiny Mathew also enjoys strong Church support, along with backing from leaders such as Dominic Presentation.

Minimol stated that she would abide by the party’s decision and is ready to resign if asked. While she expressed confidence that issues would be resolved, it remains unclear how her supporters and the Church would react if she is removed.

The Deputy Mayor post has also become contentious. The Muslim League, citing its key role in UDF victories, has demanded the post firmly and may pose further challenges to Congress. Currently, Deepak Joy has been chosen as deputy mayor for the first term, with K V P Krishnakumar slated for the second term.

With open rebellion, group rivalries, and community pressures intensifying, the Congress faces a potentially serious organizational crisis in Kochi.