Jamal Manakkadan | Photo credit: RK Nithin
Congress leader Jamal Manakkadan will lead the United Democratic Front (UDF) as chairman of Kalamassery village.
The Congress Parliamentary Party approved his name for the post of chairman as there was no other contender in the race after the emphatic victory registered by the UDF in the local polls. Fronta won 30 of the total 46 departments.
The unanimous selection saw Mr. Manakkadan assume office for the fourth time in his political career. He won from Vattekunnam constituency with a majority of 17 votes.
In the last council, he served as a councilor and was part of the district planning committee. His wife Rukiya Jamal is also part of the new board after winning the Cochin University Engineering College campus with a majority of 246 votes. Previously, she worked as the chairman of the civic association.
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is likely to announce its vice-presidential candidate on Wednesday (December 24). Contenders include Shanida Siddique and Shareena Kamaruddin, who won from City Hall and City Ward respectively. According to the agreement within the UDF, the post of vice-chairman was allotted to the IUML.
The election for the post of chairman and vice-chairman will be unproblematic for the UDF in view of the considerable majority in the new council. This time, the Left Democratic Front managed to secure victory in only 13 constituencies. After the local body elections held in 2020, it had a total strength of 20 councillors.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance failed to improve on its performance in the polls, settling for a single victory after retaining the Thrikkakara Temple constituency with a majority of 11 votes.
Published – 24 Dec 2025 0:24 IST
