Kannur Corporation Deputy Mayor C. Sameer resigned from his post on Monday before the Corporation council meeting was scheduled to be held to vote a no-trust motion moved against him by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) members.
Mr. Sameer, who had been elected Deputy Mayor in a draw-of-lots after the maiden election to the Corporation council, submitted his resignation letter to Corporation secretary V.J. Kurian at 10.40 a.m. in a bid to avert the embarrassment of being voted out at the council meeting scheduled to be held at 11 a.m. to vote the no-trust motion.
His resignation ended a phase of uncertainty in the Corporation in which the UDF and the LDF have 27 members each in the 55-member council, with P.K. Ragesh, Congress rebel who won from Panjikkeel ward as Independent, emerging as key member.
In the Mayoral election, Mr. Ragesh’s vote had led to the election of CPI(M)’s E.P. Latha as Mayor. His abstention from the election of Deputy Mayor had led to draw-of-lots in which Mr. Sameer was elected.
Though there had been efforts in the Congress to patch up with Mr. Ragesh, who had been a close confidant of Congress leader K. Sudhakaran before he fell out his favour, the situation had worsened before the Assembly election after he had fielded himself as independent candidate in the Azhikode constituency.
He and his supporters had been expelled from the party subsequently.
Since then the Corporation administration had witnessed a phase of uncertainty. The LDF’s decision to move the no-confidence motion against Mr. Sameer followed the assurance of Mr. Ragesh’s support for the LDF. In turn, the CPI(M) was said to have offered Deputy Mayoral post to him.
District Collector and returning officer P. Bala Kiran, who reached the Corporation office at 11.15 a.m. was spared the task of chairing the council meeting to vote the no-trust motion because of Mr. Sameer’s resignation. He said the resignation was accepted and that the date of electing the new Deputy Mayor would be decided by the State Election Commission.
No horse trading
After his resignation, Mr. Sameer said the UDF was not interested in political horse trading. Over the past six months, developmental activities could be carried out without differences of opinion. Later, the LDF workers staged a jubilation march from the municipal Corporation. Mr. Ragesh also joined other LDF councillors in the march.
