The political campaign to unseat Mayor Soumini Jain is likely to be renewed in the Kochi Corporation shortly.
The moves to oust Ms. Jain are likely to gather steam after March 13, when the six-month cooling period for moving another no-confidence motion ends. It was on September 13 last year that Ms. Jain survived a no-confidence motion sponsored by the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
The LDF may consider moving a fresh no-confidence motion against the Mayor with the hope that the second attempt to displace her will succeed, considering the intense organisational crisis that has gripped the Congress.
Last time, the LDF’s hopes to unseat her were dashed as the State leadership of the Congress asked the district unit of the party to issue a whip to the Congress councillors to vote for Ms. Jain. Since then, the factional feud in the Congress has intensified, leading to disciplinary action against some of Ms. Jain’s supporters.
Though it had not been formally decided, the LDF was toying with the idea of once again moving a no-confidence motion, indicated an LDF leader.
Political affairs panel
The attempts of Congress legislators from the district to displace Ms. Jain got stuck midway as the political affairs committee of the party, which discussed the issue, entrusted party State president Mullapally Ramachandran to take a decision. The functioning of the committee has come to a standstill after questions were raised about the need for such a forum in the party, thereby putting the issue of leadership change on the back burner.
Councillor suspended
The party leadership had lost its face when Gracy Joseph, the Congress councillor and chairperson of the development standing committee, declined to put in her papers despite the party leadership asking her to step down. Even though Ms. Joseph was suspended from the Congress on disciplinary grounds, the party abstained from removing her from the post as it feared that any such attempt would culminate in the Congress losing the chairperson post of the committee.
It was the defeat of the party nominee to the chairperson’s post in the town planning standing committee, which it had been holding since the beginning of the term of the present dispensation, that forced the party leaders to rework their strategies. LDF candidate Sunila Selvan became the chairperson as Congress votes were not polled in favour of the party candidate.
Some of the Congress councillors, said a Jain loyalist, were determined to unseat her from the post though hardly six months were left for the present council to complete its term. However, such attempts were unlikely to succeed, he added.
A prominent detractor of Ms. Jain said some of the Congress councillors would defy the party whip next time and vote to dislodge her. Discontent was brewing in the party rank and file as they were fed up with the present dispensation, he added.
The two women, whom the party had handed over major responsibilities, had caused much harm to the organisation and brought disrepute by disobeying the party leadership.
A section of the Congress councillors would seek revenge for that by defying the whip and voting against Ms. Jain, he said.
