In a major political twist in the Mattathur panchayat in Kerala's Thrissur district, all eight elected Congress members resigned en masse and joined hands with the BJP to take control of the council.
With the BJP's support, Tessy Jose Kallaraykkal, a Congress rebel, has now become the new panchayat president heading a newly formed front, ending the 23-year rule of the Left in Mattathur.
The results of the 24-member panchayat were tight: Left Democratic Front (LDF) 10, United Democratic Front (UDF) 8, NDA 4, and 2 Independents. Because both sides were close, even a draw of lots was being considered to choose the President.
The UDF had decided to support KR Ouseph, an independent who won as a Congress rebel. But just before the election for the Panchayat president, Ouseph joined hands with the LDF, leaving Congress leaders shocked.
Angered by this, all eight Congress members quit the party. They said in their resignation letters that the local Congress leadership had acted unfairly and ignored loyal workers. After quitting, they decided to support Tessy Jose as an Independent candidate. The BJP also supported her with three votes (one BJP vote was invalid), and she won with 12 members backing her.
The councillors who resigned are Minimol, Sreeja, Suma Antony, Akshay Santhosh, Printo Palliparamban, CG Rajesh, CB Paulose and Noorjahan Nawaz.
This situation has shocked both the Congress and the Left, and a Congress rebel becoming President with the BJP's help has created a new political alliance that no one expected.
So far, the Congress has not taken action against the eight members who quit, and the BJP has only said that the decision "respects the council's mandate".
The LDF, which thought it had enough numbers after Ouseph switched sides, is now assessing what it can do next.
Party workers in Thrissur say the Mattathur outcome is symptomatic of serious internal problems in the Congress and warn there may be repeats in other places if the leadership does not step in.
