BJP loses another panel in Palakkad municipality

The combined Opposition in the Palakkad municipal council unseated the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the chairmanship of yet another standing committee on Monday, with Communist Party of India (Marxist) councillors voting in favour of a no-confidence motion moved by the Congress.

As a result, welfare standing committee chairperson T. Baby was removed from the post, with five members on the committee voting against her and four persons supporting her.

The nine-member committee comprised four BJP members, four Congress members and one CPI(M) member.

After winning the no-confidence motion, the Congress gave notice for a no-confidence motion against the chairperson of the standing committee on education, art and sports.

Members on committee

On that committee, the Congress has four members and the CPI(M) has one. The ruling BJP has only three members.

Congress leaders say they would move a no-confidence motion against the chairperson and vice-chairman of the municipality after winning the motion against the education standing committee chairperson.

The BJP is likely to lose control over the lone urban local self-government ruled by it in Kerala given the combined strength of the CPI(M) and the Congress. However, both the Opposition parties are yet to decide on the future arrangement over administering the municipality. While the Congress said it would field a candidate to the chairperson’s post, the CPI(M) is yet to make its plan clear.

Earlier, the combined Opposition had won a no-confidence motion moved against the public works standing committee chairman.

Invalid vote

However, an invalid vote by a CPI(M) member led to the failure of a no-confidence motion against health standing committee chairman last week.

As per the Panchayati Raj Act, before issuing notice for a no-confidence motion against the municipal chairman and vice chairman, no-confidence motions against all standing committees should be considered.

Though the BJP is the single largest party in the municipal council, it does not have the majority.

In power

It has been in power since 2015 because the CPI(M) has refused to join hands with the Congress to unseat the BJP chairperson of the municipality. The BJP has 24 members in the 52-member municipality, while the UDF and the LDF together have 26 members. One each went to the Welfare Party and an Independent.