Elections to Kudumbashree community development societies (CDS) in eight districts that were postponed in the wake of the COVID-19 surge have been completed. Office-bearers in these districts will assume charge on Monday.
With this, elections to 1,068 of the 1,070 CDSs have been completed. CDS elections in Kollam, Kottayam, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod had been held earlier. Along with them, those elected to 733 neighbourhood groups under the Attappady Adivasi Comprehensive Development Scheme, 133 settlement committees and four panchayats too will become part of the Kudumbashree three-tier structure. This will take the total number of women under the Kudumbashree network to 16.55 lakh.
The three-phase elections to the Kudumbashree three-tier structure began on January 7. As many as 14.16 lakh neighbourhood group and 2.14 lakh area development society (ADS) office-bearers were elected. At the CDS level, 1,068 chairpersons and an equal number of vice chairpersons, and 5,128 women in Attapady neighbourhood groups and settlement committees have been elected.
Elections now remain to be conducted in two CDSs – Puthunagaram in Palakkad and Edamalakudi in Idukki district. While the Puthunagaram CDS polls will be held on Monday, the election at Edamalakudi that had been postponed in the wake of COVID-19 spread will be held later.
