7 months ago
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As the UDF and LDF locked horns successful a high-stakes conflict for power of the Pala municipality, a little-known household corporate has stolen the spotlight, pulling disconnected a stunning three-seat sweep.
The astonishment winners are Binu Pulikkakkandam, a CPI(M) renegade, his girl Diya Binu, and his member Biju Pulikkakkandam. While Mr. Pulikkakkandam, a businessman-turned-politician, emerged victorious from Ward 14, Ms. Binu, an economics postgraduate from Madras Christian College who is preparing to prosecute an MBA degree, has won from Ward 15.
His brother, who has worked intimately with Union Minister Suresh Gopi for years, clinched Ward 13. The trio contested and won from 3 adjoining wards successful the Thekkekkara portion of the municipality, located crossed the Meenachil river.
With the UDF securing 10 seats and the LDF 11 successful the 21-member council, the 3 Independent victories person assumed captious importance, arsenic 14 seats are needed for a wide majority. “Both sides person approached us, but nary determination has been taken yet. We volition get astatine a determination aft owed consultations with our voters,” Mr. Pulikkakkandam said.
With a hung verdict and neither beforehand successful a presumption to signifier the ruling harvester connected its own, Ms. Binu has emerged arsenic a beardown contender for the chairperson’s post, with enactment from either the UDF oregon the LDF.
This is not the archetypal clip Mr. Pulikkakkandam has pulled disconnected specified a governmental coup. In 2010, helium had led a mini autarkic corporate successful the aforesaid region, contesting alongside Independents Ranjini Pradeep and Latha Mohan, and made astonishing inroads.
Over the past one-and-a-half decades, helium has worn aggregate governmental hats, serving arsenic an Independent, a BJP councillor, and a CPI(M) councillor. A changeless thread moving done his governmental travel has been his fierce absorption to Jose K. Mani, president of the Kerala Congress (M).
Mr. Pulikkakkandam was expelled from the CPI(M) past twelvemonth pursuing months of friction implicit seat-sharing, aft the KC(M), the ascendant spouse of the LDF successful Pala, rejected the CPI(M)’s connection to task him arsenic municipal chairperson.
Adding to the communicative of young faces making an impact, attraction has besides turned to 24-year-old Riya Cheeramkuzhy, besides known arsenic Riyo Bino, who has won from Kaveekunnu connected the Congress ticket.
An off-road operator with a heavy passionateness for escapade sports, Ms. Bino inherited her emotion for jeep racing from her father, Bino Jose. Trained successful driving from a young age, she obtained her driving licence astatine 18 and a dense conveyance licence astatine 22, going connected to marque a sanction for herself successful jeep racing circuits.
Interestingly, her father’s younger member had earlier served arsenic an LDF councillor successful the Pala municipality.
