All Congress Members in Thrissur’s Mattathur Panchayat Resign, Join BJP to Form Alliance

In a significant political development in Thrissur district, all elected members of the Congress party in Mattathur Panchayat have resigned from their party affiliations and joined forces with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This unexpected alliance led to the formation of a new front, securing control of the Panchayat by electing an independent candidate as its president.

Tessy Jose Kallarackal, who contested as an independent and emerged victorious, was elected as the Panchayat President in the 24-member body. This strategic move by the Congress members was reportedly aimed at preventing the Left Democratic Front (LDF) from gaining power in the Panchayat.

The newly formed coalition saw Tessy Jose receive the votes of eight former Congress members, two rebel candidates, and the BJP members. The LDF, in contrast, held a total of 10 members in the Panchayat.

Sources indicate a long-standing rift between the local Congress leadership in Mattathur Panchayat, a traditional stronghold for the party, and the District Congress Committee (DCC) leadership. This internal discord is cited as the primary reason for the dramatic political shift. The eight victorious candidates, who have now resigned to align with the BJP, were initially fielded by the local leadership against those officially declared by the DCC.

The Congress members who resigned include Minimol, Sreeja, Suma Antony, Akshay Santhosh, Printo Pallipparamban, Siji Rajesh, Sibi Paulose, and Noorjahan Navas.

Following these developments, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) has vehemently criticized the alliance, alleging that the Congress members formed the front after receiving financial inducements from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).