The Congress party signalled an early start to its civic poll campaign on Tuesday by releasing the first tranche of candidates for the forthcoming Kochi Corporation elections. The list features a significant representation of women and successfully balances experienced hands with new entrants.
Out of the 40 candidates announced in the initial list, 22 are women. The party highlighted this move as a demonstration of its commitment to achieving greater gender representation within local governance.
Speaking at a press conference, District Congress Committee (DCC) president Mohammed Shiyas confirmed that the second list, which will cover the remaining 25 divisions, would be published shortly.
The Congress is set to contest 65 of the 76 total divisions in the Kochi Corporation. The remaining 11 seats have been allocated to allies within the United Democratic Front (UDF). Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) will get 7 seats; Kerala Congress (Joseph)- 3 seats, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP)- 1 seat.
A notable inclusion in the list is VP Chandran, a former CPI(M) councillor and party functionary, who has joined the UDF ranks. Chandran will contest the Vytilla division as a UDF independent, filling the RSP quota. Shiyas stated that Chandran, who left the CPI(M) citing internal factionalism and dissatisfaction with the leadership, was an "ideal candidate" due to his strong local backing.
KPCC general secretary and current sitting councillor, Deepthy Mary Varghese, has been nominated to contest from the Stadium division. Varghese is widely regarded as a key contender for the Mayor’s post, which is reserved for women this term.
Shiyas underscored that the Congress intends to exceed the mandated quota for women by nominating female candidates in general divisions as well. He, further, added regarding the leadership, "The mayor will be chosen by the parliamentary party after the elections."
The first list encompasses both fresh faces and former councillors. When asked about the possibility of former mayor Soumini Jain returning to the fray, Shiyas declined to confirm, indicating that the decision would be revealed in the second list.
He concluded by assuring that the party had successfully resolved internal disagreements to ensure a unified front in this election.
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