Binu Pulikkandam, his daughter Diya Binu and brother Biju Pulikkandam, after winning from three wards in Pala municipality. | Photo credit: FILE PHOTO
Even as the new members of the local body are to be sworn in on Sunday, the impasse over the formation of the new board refuses to go away and the “independent collective” led by the Pulikkakandam family is yet to make up its mind.
Given that no political party has achieved a simple majority in the 26-member council, the position of the three-member collective is crucial when deciding on a new chairman. The council consists of 12 members from the Left Democratic Front (LDF), 10 from the United Democratic Front (UDF) and one independent member, besides three members of the Independent Collective, Binu Pulikkakandam, his brother Biju Pulikkakandam and Mr. Binu’s daughter Diya Binu.
The collective convened the ‘Janasabha’ (people’s forum) of wards 13, 14 and 15, from where they won the elections, after the oath-taking ceremony on Sunday. The collective will decide on its political stance based on its outcome.
While speculations are rife that the collective is likely to support the UDF, given that the UDF has not fielded candidates in the three wards, it has rejected all such commitments. Recently, the UDF claimed to have secured the support of the Pulikkakandam family and even organized a victory and Pala celebration. He has since stepped down following uncertainty about the collective’s stance.
In 2020, the LDF with the support of the Jose K Mani-led Kerala Congress (M) won the Pala municipality for the first time in its history. This time, however, no coalition wins a majority, resulting in a hung parliament.
Sources said the collective is likely to claim the chairmanship post for Diya Binu in the first term, both for the UDF and the LDF. Meanwhile, it is learned that the KC(M) is not interested in tying up with Binu as he had consistently attacked Jose K. Mani during the previous term despite being part of the LDF at the time.
Published – 20 Dec 2025 20:50 IST
