Congress declares 22 more candidates for Kochi Corporation; withholds announcement in two wards as ‘surprise’

The Congress on Thursday released its final list of 22 candidates for the Kochi Corporation elections and stopped announcements for two districts – Cheralayi and Ravipuram.

Announcing the list, District Congress Committee (DCC) chairman Muhammad Shiyas described the decision to exclude only two of the 64 districts in which the party competed as a “surprise”. However, the names of BJP opponent and six-time councilor Shyamala S. Prabhu and former Congress Mayor Soumini Jain are doing the rounds in Cheralayi and Ravipuram districts respectively. He added that all 62 Congress candidates will be formally presented by Opposition Leader VD Satheesan at the DCC office on Friday evening.

VK Minimol, a multi-term councilor whose absence was conspicuous in the initial list of 40 candidates announced earlier this week, has been fielded from the newly reserved Palarivattom, which is now a general ward. Vaduthala West councilor Henry Austin will contest again from the same constituency.

Mr. Shiyas said the decision to field four candidates over the mandatory 38 out of 76 wards in the Corporation reflects the party’s determination to increase women’s participation in decision-making processes, especially since the post of Mayor is reserved for women. However, to her disappointment, three-time councilor Malini Kurup from Girinagar ward was left out.

Initially, the Congress was expected to contest in 65 districts but now Konam, a general district, has been allotted to the United Democratic Front (UDF) founder Communist Marxist Party. When asked about the reported discontent in the Youth Congress over the perceived exclusion of its members in the selection of candidates, Mr Shiyas said a balanced mix of youth and experience was selected. “There are more than 2,000 local body wards in Ernakulam district. Not only by looking at the 76 wards in Kochi Corporation, but after the candidates are announced in all these wards, an idea can be formed about the representation of the youth,” he said.

Mr. Shiyas reiterated that the outgoing LDF management committee only completed major projects initiated by previous UDF councils and failed to initiate any major infrastructure projects of its own using State government funds. He also alleged that LDF was able to complete most of these projects only because it avoided obstructing work with unnecessary protests.