UDF Secures Pullampara Panchayat with Support from Expelled CPM Rebel

Thiruvananthapuram: The United Democratic Front (UDF) has secured control of the Pullampara Grama Panchayat in the district. The UDF gained administration of the panchayat with the crucial support of a CPM rebel who contested as an independent. In the Pullampara Grama Panchayat, the seat distribution stands at CPM 7, Congress 7, BJP 1, and Independent 1. B. Sreekandan Nair, the CPM rebel who won as an independent, announced his support for the UDF.

The party had denied Sreekandan Nair a seat after he made comments against the Chief Minister and his family on a social media post. Following this denial, he decided to contest as an independent candidate. Sreekandan Nair successfully competed from the Muthuppara ward of Pullampara Grama Panchayat, where he defeated Jishnu Muthuppara of the CPM by a margin of 272 votes.

Sreekandan Nair had previously held significant positions as the CPM Local Committee Secretary for Pullampara and the Vice President of the Pullampara Grama Panchayat. In the 16-member panchayat, seven members were elected from each of the two major fronts, one from the NDA, and Sreekandan Nair as an independent. With neither front achieving a clear majority, Sreekandan Nair’s support became the decisive factor in forming the administration, leading to his strategic decision to back the UDF.