5 months ago
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Ponmundam stands retired arsenic the panchayat successful the State wherever hostility toward the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is astir intense. In this civic body, astir parties, particularly the Congress and the CPI(M), person formed an confederation against the IUML.
Ironically, the IUML is fielding candidates for 16 of the 18 seats nether its authoritative ‘ladder’ symbol, portion the Congress and the CPI(M) are contesting lone done Independent candidates. In Ponmundam, the Congress and the CPI(M) person nary authoritative symbols, and neither the United Democratic Front (UDF) nor the Left Democratic Front (LDF) has immoderate representation.
Ponmundam stands retired arsenic the lone panchayat successful the territory wherever the Congress’ ‘hand’ and the CPI(M)’s ‘hammer and sickle’ symbols are absent, leaving the IUML to look a tract of Independent candidates.
The IUML had held the panchayat for 3 consecutive terms, with the Congress serving arsenic the main opposition. In the 2010 civic polls, the IUML won 9 seats to the Congress’ seven. By 2015, a conjugation of parties, including a splinter radical called the Ponmundam Congress backed by the CPI(M), agreed against the IUML, yet the League inactive captured 11 of the 16 seats.
In the 2020 civic elections, Ponmundam’s contention turned into a three-way race. The IUML won 12 seats, portion the Congress took up the absorption relation with four. With the League’s tally rising from 9 to 12 implicit 3 terms, the Congress is present reaching retired to different parties to situation it.
Attempts by elder Congress and IUML leaders to revive the panchayat confederation fell done arsenic section leaders refused to cooperate. Congress’ grassroots members see the IUML and its leaders unacceptable, and the sentiment is mutual.
Kundil Hajara, the outgoing panchayat president, said a deep-seated animosity had grown betwixt the IUML and the Congress successful Ponmundam. “Trust has vanished, and it seems hard to regain,” she said.
Even though the UDF had held unneurotic during the 2021 Assembly polls, the LDF’s V. Abdurahman’s borderline of astir 1,000 votes implicit the UDF’s P.K. Firoz underscored the IUML’s waning spot successful the section alliance.
The IUML has tied up with the Welfare Party, which has a nominal beingness successful the panchayat. Opposing them is the Janakeeya Munnani, supported by respective parties but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with adjacent the SDPI backing it successful aggregate wards. The BJP, meanwhile, has fielded candidates successful astir wards. The contention has efficaciously go a conflict betwixt the IUML’s ‘ladder’ awesome and a scope of Independent symbols.
Hydrose Master, a subordinate of the District Congress Committee, is contesting successful Ward 10 nether the ‘scissors’ symbol, portion Congress artifact president R. Komukutty is moving successful Ward 8 nether the ‘umbrella’ symbol.
