Kozhikode District Collector P.B. Salim assumed charge as District Collector here on Saturday as the incumbent Collector, V.K. Balakrishnan, was shifted following the Election Commission's directive in the wake of allegations of anomalies in the election process in the Kannur Assembly by-election scheduled to be held on November 7.
Mr. Salim took charge as the Collector after he reached the Collectorate at around 2-30 a.m. He held a meeting with Mr. Balakrishnan, the Special Election Observor Sandeep Saxena and election officials in the afternoon. The new Collector also convened a meeting of political party leaders on Sunday.
Mr. Salim has been recommended by the EC from a panel of three IAS officials submitted by Chief Secretary Neela Gangadharan. The EC had recommended to the Chief Secretary to shift Mr. Balakrishnan who was accused by the United Democratic Front of being partial.
Thirteen candidates in the fray
There are 13 candidates in the fray as three independent candidates withdrew their nominations on the last day of withdrawal on Saturday. The candidates include major rivals A.P. Abdullakutty (Congress), M.V. Jayarajan (Communist Party of India-Marxist) and Ranjith (Bharatiya Janata Party). The others contesting the election are Abdul Majeed Faisi, an independent supported by the Social Democratic Party of India who has been assigned the ceiling fan as his symbol; four namesakes of Mr. Abdullakutty, namely, A.P. Abdullakutty (election symbol: shuttle cock), Abdullakutty A.P. (glass tumbler), Abdullakutty P.C. (postal box), Abdullakutty M.V. (harmonium), Jayaraj (whistle) and K. Sudhakaran (independentt).
