The Hindu 01.11.2010
‘Heads of civic bodies to be elected locally’
Staff Reporter
| KPCC president releases circular |
Parliamentary party meeting of Congress
to begin on November 4
KPCC representative to attend meetings
KOCHI: The heads of civic bodies, where the Congress has gained majority, will be decided by the parliamentary party of the respective civic bodies, said J. Poulose, president of the Ernakulam District Committee. The parliamentary party of the Congress in a civic body includes the elected members of the party in that civic body.
Talking to reporters after a district meeting of the party held here on Sunday, Mr. Poulose said that the selection process would be completed at the local body level itself and there was no question of leaving the decision to the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). The party has prepared a schedule for the parliamentary party meetings of various local bodies in the district. The meetings will start on November 4 and conclude by November 6. The person elected as the parliamentary party leader will head the civic administration in the civic body, he said.
According to a circular issued by Ramesh Chennithala, president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, if the members of a parliamentary party unanimously elect a person, the decision would be accepted. The selection of the parliamentary party leader of the corporation should also be on majority basis. The meeting will be chaired by the president of the District Congress Committee and a representative of the KPCC will attend the meeting, said the circular which was discussed at the meeting.
Selection of Mayor
The statement of the DCC president attains significance in the wake of the indecision prevailing in the party regarding the selection of the mayor candidate for Kochi corporation.
The names of three Congress leaders—KPCC general secretary N. Venugopal and DCC office-bearers Leno Jacob and Tony Chamminy—are doing the rounds for the top post.
While some section of the Congress councillors argued that a political decision regarding the Mayor post would be taken at the KPCC level, rival camps said that such a decision was unlikely in Kochi given the group equations in the party. One of the contenders hoped that the party may go in for sharing of the five-year term among the three candidates so as to avoid any dissident activities during the term.
However, the councillors belonging to the ‘A’ faction of the party ruled out such options as they claimed that the group enjoyed the support of 24 representatives in the 39-member Congress contingent elected to the council.
