Kerala - Kottayam   

T. N. Rameshan new chief of Kottayam panchayat

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TN Rameshan, the newly elected District Panchayat president, Kottayam; right, Sebastian Kulathumkal, vice-president

KOTTAYAM: T. N. Rameshan of CPI is the new president of the Kottayam district panchayat. He has been elected to the vacancy created by the resignation of K. P. Sugunan of the CPI(M) from the presidentship as per an internal agreement among LDF constituents.

In the election held on Tuesday, Mr. Rameshan was opposed by Radha V. Nair of Congress who got 11 votes against the 12 bagged by her rival in the 23 member panchayat. Mr. Rameshan, who represents Vaikom division, will be the fifth president of the district panchayat during the past four years. The District Collector Mini Antony was the presiding officer for the election. Girish S. Nair proposed and Biju Kaiparedan supported her nomination.

In the elections for the post of vice-president, held in the afternoon, Sebastian Kulathumkal of Kerala Congress (J) repeated the performance of Mr. Rameshan against Mohan Thomas of Kerala Congress (Secular)

In the last panchayat elections, Kottayam along with Malappuram were the two districts that had elected UDF to power. The UDF had 12 members and the LDF, 11. Kerala Congres (M) nominee Thomas Kunnappally was elected president. However, during the last assembly elections, one of the KC(M) panchayat members, N Jayaraj, was elected from Vazhoor assembly segment to the Kerala legislative Assembly. In the byelection that followed the LDF wrested the seat from the UDF, thereby upsetting the delicate equilibrium in favour of the LDF. This had brought K. P. Sugunan of CPI(M) to the presidentship. However, with the ouster of Kerala Congress (Secular) from the LDF, the equilibrium again turned in favour of the UDF which brought back Mr. Kunnappally to presidentship. However, a year later Mr Kunnappally turned a rebel and refused to stand down in favour of a Congress representative as per an earlier agreement within the UDF. This resulted in the UDF itself bringing a no-confidence motion against Mr. Kunnappally. The LDF was quick to make use of the crisis within the UDF and re-elected Mr. Sugunan back to presidentship.

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