Diya Binu, ousted chairperson of Pala, addressing the media at her house after the trust vote
\| Photo Credit: VISHNU PRATHAP

A day after helping unseat the United Democratic Front (UDF) chairperson through a no confidence motion, the rebel Congress councillors stepped up efforts on Wednesday to take control of the Pala municipality by forging a new ruling arrangement with the Left Democratic Front (LDF).

Despite having engineered the fall of the UDF council, the Kerala Congress (M) appears reluctant to take over the administration directly. Instead, the party is weighing the option of extending outside support to a council led by the Congress rebels.

With the chairperson’s post reserved for women, the rebel bloc, comprising four Congress councillors and Congress Independent Maya Rahul, has three women eligible for the post. Among them, Ms. Rahul, who is currently serving as acting chairperson, has emerged as the frontrunner, with the KC (M) viewing her as the most acceptable candidate.

Although formal negotiations are yet to begin, discussions have gathered momentum around a formula under which the KC (M) would extend outside support while remaining outside the ruling set up. “We have not set any conditions for extending outside support to the Congress. We believe Ms. Rahul would be an ideal choice for chairperson. There could, however, be discussions regarding the vice-chairperson’s post,” said Lopez Mathew, KC(M) district president.

For the Congress rebels, such an arrangement also serves a strategic purpose. By projecting one of their own as chairperson rather than ceding the post to the LDF, they hope to reinforce their claim that their revolt was directed against the leadership of the outgoing chairperson rather than the Congress itself. The rebels are also understood to have no objection to offering the vice-chairperson’s post to the KC(M), though formal talks on the proposal are yet to begin.

Cong. crackdown

Sources indicated that two of the rebel Congress councillors, Tony Thaiparambil and Biju Thomas, could also find a place in the new power structure if the arrangement materialises. Even as negotiations gathered pace between KC(M) and the rebel bloc, the Congress leadership moved to crack down on dissent. Acting on the directions of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), the District Congress Committee (DCC) expelled the four rebel councillors from the party’s primary membership for defying the party whip and voting in favour of the no confidence motion. The party has also announced that it will initiate proceedings to have them disqualified from the municipal council.

The rebels, however, remain defiant and are preparing to challenge both the disciplinary action and the proposed disqualification.”The decision to support the no confidence motion was in line with the party’s earlier decision to withdraw support to the chairperson, which had already been communicated to the leadership. Besides, the whip was neither issued 24 hours before the meeting, as required, nor served on any of us in person,” one of the rebel councillors said.

Politically, however, they appear to be betting that the Congress leadership, already grappling with the fallout of the rebellion, may eventually be forced to negotiate rather than prolong a battle that could leave the municipality in prolonged uncertainty.

The UDF administration collapsed on Tuesday after chairperson Diya Binu lost the no confidence motion moved by the LDF. The motion was carried with the support of 17 councillors, including four Congress members and Ms. Rahul.

Published - July 22, 2026 07:37 pm IST