M. Anilkumar of the CPI(M) was elected Mayor of the Kochi corporation on Monday, bringing an LDF candidate back to the chair after a ten-year hiatus.
Mr. Anilkumar secured 36 votes, defeating the UDF candidate Antony Kureethara who secured 32 votes. The councillors toed their respective party lines, with the Independent candidates sticking to the allegiances they had promised earlier. K. P. Antony, councillor from Manassery, who had contested as an independent candidate, abstained from voting.
The LDF had won 34 seats and then secured the support of two Independents, former IUML councillor T. K. Ashraf and councillor from Panayapilly J. Sanilmon.
The UDF won 31 seats and also had the support of an Independent councillor, Mary Prakasan.
In a first, the NDA, which has so far abstained from participating in the election to the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, fielded candidates for both posts this time, propelled by their all-time highest tally of five seats in the council. Sudha Dileep Kumar, the BJP candidate for Mayor secured the vote of all five NDA councillors.
The election took place in two rounds with Ms. Sudha being eliminated after the first round.
CPI(M) leaders including district secretary C. N. Mohanan, were present at the council to greeted Mr. Anilkumar after his win.
At the council meeting that followed, Mr. Anilkumar said that the foremost priority of the new council would be the completion of the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) housing project for the residents of Thuruthy - a project which has been stuck in a limbo for years.
The council will also co-operate with the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) to ensure swift rehabilitation of the residents of P&T Colony, he said.
Coordinating with all agencies working in the city and the district, including the district administration, Kochi Metro Rail Limited and the GCDA, will be crucial for the new council, he said, adding that the problems of the common people of the city and the workers would take centre stage.
After UDF councillors at the meeting reiterated that the LDF had failed to secure an absolute majority in the election, Mr. Anilkumar dismissed the matter, reminding the council that any decision would be taken only with the backing of all councillors irrespective of political affiliation.
Waste management would also be a top priority for the council, he said later, while addressing the media in the Mayor’s chamber. The council will attempt to work out a decentralised waste management system to reduce its volume, rather than simply relying on a new waste-to-energy plant.
Apart from implementing an existing study by Esteem Developers to deal with waterlogging in the city, detailed studies will have to be undertaken to resolve the issue, he said.
Rather than focussing on just basic amenities, bringing about a cultural change in the city would be on the council’s agenda, Mr. Anilkumar said.
