The Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] district leadership zeroed in on K.A. Ansiya, the CPI councillor from the Mattancherry Division, for the post of Deputy Mayor of the Kochi Corporation.
The decision was taken at a meeting on Saturday, said P. Raju, CPI district secretary.
A meeting of the district secretariat of the CPI(M) on Saturday passed an agenda suggesting M. Anilkumar, a district committee member of the party, as the candidate for the post of Mayor. The district committee is likely to meet on Sunday to finalise the decision.
Mattancherry, Division 5 of the corporation, had been a stronghold of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) for 50 years, before she won it for the LDF this year, Ms. Ansiya said. She had been a part of the All India Youth Federation (AIYF), the CPI’s youth wing, and is now an active member of the local Kudumbashree group.
The 33-year-old contested for the first time this year and won by a margin of 23 votes.
The CPI had earlier staked claim to the post of Deputy Mayor, suggesting the name of Ms. Ansiya, the party’s only woman candidate to have won. The party won four seats this time, its highest ever tally in the corporation.
M. Anilkumar is returning to the council for the fourth time.
He won from Elamakkara North this time, having represented the division in the 2010-15 council as well. He was the CPI(M) candidate for the Ernakulam constituency in the 2016 Assembly election.
Elections to the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor are set to take place on Monday.
Having won 34 seats and secured the support of the two Independents, the LDF has the backing of 36 councillors in the 74-member council, while the UDF won 31 seats and the BJP five. The posts of two standing committee chairpersons may be handed over to T.K. Ashraf and J. Sanilmon, the Independents who promised support to the LDF, though a final decision is awaited.
