5 months ago
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Ending days of speculation, the Ernakulam District Congress Committee (DCC) connected Tuesday (December 23, 2025) evening announced four-time councillor V.K. Minimol arsenic its mayoral campaigner for the archetypal two-and-a-half years, followed by Shiny Mathew for the remainder of the term.
Similarly, the Deputy Mayor’s station volition beryllium shared betwixt Deepak Joy, a two-time councillor and Youth Congress all-India coordinator, and K.V.P. Krishnakumar. The determination came arsenic a large setback to two-time councillor and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) wide caput Deepthy Mary Varghese, who had been wide considered the frontrunner for the Mayor’s post.
Signs of the result were evident astatine the Congress councillors’ gathering held connected Monday (December 22, 2025) evening, wherever Ms. Varghese, identified with the K.C. Venugopal faction, reportedly received small support. At slightest 17 councillors from the ‘I’ radical reportedly backed Ms. Minimol, portion Shiny Mathew secured the enactment of not little than 20 ‘A’ radical councillors, leaving Ms. Varghese sidelined.
Announcing the party’s candidates for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections scheduled for December 26, DCC president Mohammed Shiyas said the determination was taken aft considering each applicable factors. He noted that divided presumption to accommodate elder leaders were not caller and had been followed by the enactment successful section bodies before. Highlighting Ms. Minimol’s extended acquisition arsenic a four-time councillor, Mr. Shiyas said the chosen candidates were susceptible of advancing the city’s improvement and payment initiatives.
Speaking to the media later, Ms. Minimol, who is besides the State vice president of the Mahila Congress, pledged to present governance successful enactment with the people’s expectations. She attributed her enactment to designation by the enactment leadership, which, she said, astir apt considered her aggregate presumption arsenic councillor among different factors. She avoided commenting connected Ms. Varghese being overlooked for the Mayor’s post, allegedly successful usurpation of a KPCC circular, stating that everyone would abide by the party’s decision.
On the contented of divided terms, she remarked that what matters is not the magnitude of clip but however efficaciously it is used. She expressed assurance that her anterior acquisition arsenic chairperson of the wellness and works lasting committees would alteration her to supply effectual governance.
Reports suggest that Ms. Mathew, isolated from being a salient look from Kochi, besides benefited from enactment from the Latin Catholic community, which openly campaigned for her. She had antecedently been successful contention for the Mayor’s station but mislaid retired to Soumini Jain erstwhile the UDF past came to powerfulness successful 2015.
