A daunting task of revamping the civic administration, which came under fire following the poll-day flooding, awaits the Congress leadership as the party is celebrating victory in the Ernakulam Assembly bypoll.
The clamour for ousting Mayor Soumini Jain has become louder in the party as Deputy Mayor T.J. Vinod won the election with one of the lowest ever margins for a party candidate in the constituency.
The detractors of Ms. Jain have raised the demand for a new team to lead the civic administration including new standing committee chairpersons. The call comes at a time when the party is in the process of finding a replacement for Mr. Vinod. A few Congress legislators from the district also held Ms. Jain responsible for the reported poor performance of the civic administration, which they feel was reflected in Mr. Vinod’s low victory margin.
A veiled demand for leadership change in the corporation came from Hibi Eden, MP, hours after Mr. Vinod got elected as his successor. Firing the opening salvo, Mr. Eden said the party leadership should take serious note of the affairs of the civic administration. A large number of neutral urban voters expressed displeasure with the civic administration, which failed to deliver, and voted against the Congress candidate, Mr. Eden said.
All through their campaign, the LDF had highlighted the shortcomings of the civic administration, especially its failure in maintaining roads, waste management, and addressing waterlogging. Voters had raised those issues with the Congress leaders during the campaign, said Mr. Eden.
At the same time, a senior party leader wondered how the Mayor alone could be held responsible for the poor show of the civic administration, which was also led by Mr. Vinod in his capacity as Deputy Mayor.
Sub-committee
A senior Congress leader indicated that the party might constitute a sub-committee to supervise the performance of the corporation and issue directions to it. The party cannot afford to lose the corporation to rivals. Discussions on finding a replacement for the District Congress Committee president and leadership in the civic administration, including Deputy Mayor, will begin on Saturday when senior party functionaries meet, he said.
