Kalamassery municipal chaiperson Jessy Peter resigned on Wednesday, ending a long-drawn drama within the district unit of the Congress party.
After putting in her papers around 3.30 p.m. she said the decision to step down was on the orders of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).
Ms. Peter said the party district leadership had asked her to step down on her completion of three years in office. Though the day fell on November 8, Ms. Peter had been waiting for orders from the party leadership. Incidentally, there were rumours that she would step down on November 13. She later met KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran in Thiruvananthapuram.
Meanwhile, Congress mandalam president A.K. Basheer said the decision on Ms. Peter was taken unanimously, and that there were no differences within the party on the matter. He added that Rukhia Jamal, wife of former municipal chairman Jamal Manakkadan, would succeed Ms. Peter and would hold the post for two years.
Party sources, which did not want to be named, claimed that when Ms. Peter was chosen as chairperson three years ago, V.M. Sudheeran was the KPCC chief, and that there was no specification on her term. It was a sub-committee, which was formed after M.M. Hassan took over as State party chief, that decided that the chairperson should step down on completion of three years in office.
Mr. Basheer said the formal election of the new chairperson would be held. The municipal secretary will report Ms. Peter’s resignation to the authorities, and the process of electing the new chairperson will be set in motion. He added that there would be changes in the chairmanship of the standing committees on welfare, health, and development.