Two emerge as strong contenders for N. Paravur municipal chairperson post

The United Democratic Front (UDF) is in a comfortable position to form a council in North Paravur municipality, retaining control of the civic body for the fourth consecutive time, after winning 15 out of 30 seats. Attention now focuses on how leadership will emerge, particularly who will be the president and vice president of the civic body.

Although a decision by the primary leadership will only be made after the new council members are sworn in, some names have emerged as strong candidates for these posts.

The names of two council members are suggested for the presidency. They are Ramesh D. Kurup, who was mayor from 2015 to 2020. He recently won from Ward 22 (Nanthiattukunnam). Another strong contender for the post is Denny Thomas. He chaired the standing committee on education from 2015 to 2020.

Others making the rounds are Saji Nambiath, winner from Ward 17 (Vazhikulangara) and Joby Panjikkaran, winner from Ward 2 (Kurunthottyparambu).

Mr Nambiath was the chairman of the standing committee on public works from 2020 to 2025, while Mr Panjikkaran was the chairman of the committee from 2010 to 2015.

This time the vice president will be a woman. The fact that 10 out of 15 council members are women actually results in more candidates being added to the list of candidates for office. According to sources, the main criteria for consideration for all positions are seniority and long-term connection with the front.

Among the female council members, three have emerged as strong candidates for the vice-presidential post. The names of Beena Sasidharan, Jalala Raveendran and Laiji Biju are doing the rounds.