Opening a new chapter in Kerala politics, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Wednesday won the presidency of a grama panchayat for the first time in the State. BSP candidate Bindu Biju was elected as president of Koruthode grama panchayat in Kanjirappally block with a majority of four votes. She defeated Seethamma of the CPI(M). The election to the post of president was held following the disqualification of ex-president Vijayamma of the CPI by the State Election commission for defection. She did not cast her vote in Wednesday’s election.
Reserved for women
The United Democratic Front (UDF) had won the majority in the grama panchayat with seven seats in the 13-member panchayat council in the 2010 elections. The CPI(M) had four seats, the CPI and the BSP had one seat each. The post of president was reserved for Scheduled Caste (woman) candidate. However, no one in the UDF qualified for the post. Finally, they offered the seat to the CPI member, who agreed to contest without the consent of her party. But the party approached the State Election Commission seeking disqualification of the president citing defection. The commission disqualified her in December 2012.
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The Congress-led UDF had no other option but to support the BSP candidate, Bindu Biju, in the election held on Wednesday. The CPI(M) candidate got only four votes. The new president is a resident of 504 Colony in Koruthode. Her husband is a daily wage labourer.