The newly elected members of the Ernakulam district panchayat were sworn-in on Monday morning.
District Collector M. Beena, who is also the returning officer for district panchayat, administered the oath of office to Valsa Kochukunju, the eldest member of the new governing committee to be elected from Puthencruz ward.
Ms. Kochukunju then administered the oath to the remaining members of the house. The first meeting of the newly formed district panchayat was held soon after the swearing-in ceremony.
All 26 members of the district panchayat were sworn-in. In the 26-member house, the United Democratic Front has 22 members and the Left Democratic Front 4.
Congress member will be the chairman of the house. Abdul Muthalib, who won from Keezhmad division, and K.R. Subhash, who won from the Vypeen division, is among the names discussed to the post of chairman. Kerala Congress (M) or Indian Union Muslim League is likely to get the post of vice-chairman. Since the post of chairman is general, the vice-chairman must be a woman.
Elsewhere, members elected to municipalities, village and block panchayats of the district also took the oath of office. Altogether, 1,879 of the 2,022 members elected to 111 local bodies in the district were sworn-in on Monday. Election in one ward of Aluva municipality had to be postponed owing to the death of a candidate,
Members of Thrikkakara municipality (42) and Parakkadavu (13), and Edappally (13) block panchayats, and Edakkatuvayal (14), Marady (13), Kunnukara (15), and Mudakuzha (13) grama panchayats will be sworn in after a month when the current term of these houses end.
The election of presidents of the village and block panchayats and the district panchayat will be held at the local bodies concerned on November 8 at 11 a.m. The election to the post of vice presidents and vice-chairmen will be held at 3 p.m. Chairmen of houses will swear-in in front of returning officers concerned and the vice-chairmen before the chairmen.
Similarly, the election of mayor and deputy mayor of the Corporation Council will be held on November 9. Again the deputy mayor will be a woman since the mayor’s post is not a reserved one this time round.
