The Standing Committees of the Kochi Corporation is likely to witness
reshuffling soon as the I faction of the Congress has decided to go
ahead with its demand for a change in leadership and various Standing
Committee chairpersons’ posts.

 With the civic administrators,
including the Mayor, completing two and a half years in office the I
group has demanded the reshuffling of various Standing Committee
chairpersons.

“The Standing Committee chairpersons were selected
two and a half years ago. There was an understanding between both the
factions that the Standing Committees would be reshuffled after
completion of half the tenure of the present Council,” said a source
close to the I faction. He said that the Kerala Yatra of KPCC president
Ramesh Chennithala  would conclude on May 18 and the I faction would
bring the issue, including a leadership change, into his notice after
that.

But the A faction totally rejected the prospects of any
change in leadership. Since Mayor Tony Chammany was selected for the
Mayoral post after an election presided over by senior Congress leader
Thalekkunnil Basheer, the A faction believes that a leadership change
will not be easy.

“The party will go for an understanding between
the groups only in a situation where both the factions have a majority.
But here A Group has a clear majority with 29 members against 12. So a
leadership change is not possible even now,” said a councillor who
belongs to the A faction.

But the I Group members refuted this
claim and said that the equations have changed now. “The equations are
not the same now. It was 29-12 at the time when Chammany was sworn in
as  Mayor. But now, the I group has the support from some members of the
other group too. Even if the A Group demands an election for leadership
change, the situation will not be the same. So the top leadership of
the Congress cannot reject the demand of the I faction for a leadership
change,” he said.

The I Group representatives also said that they
had earlier reached a consensus with A Group  for replacing all its
standing committee chairpersons after they complete two-and-a-half years
in office. 

 Currently, the Congress controls Finance, Works,
Welfare, Tax Appeal and Sports and Culture Standing Committees. “The
Health Standing Committee chairperson belongs to Muslim League and Town
Planning Standing Committee chairman is from Socialist Janatha. We will
also demand a reshuffle in these Standing committees,” sources said.