Kochi Mayor Selection Controversy: Deepthi Mary Varghese Slams Kochi Mayoral Polls, Questions Selection Procedures

Kochi: Deepthi Mary Varghese has once again come out strongly over the controversy surrounding the Kochi mayoral election. She said she had suggested a secret ballot to enable councillors to vote freely, but the proposal was not accepted.

She alleged that many party decisions are not taken based on majority opinion and that, in this case, decisions were made by just one or two individuals. “If they decided that I should not be considered and that someone else should be chosen instead, they must explain the reasons for that decision,” Deepthi said.

She pointed out that the voting process should have been conducted in a transparent manner. “A secret ballot was held in a similar situation in 2010, but no such process was followed this time. The criterion that someone from the KPCC should be present was also not followed,” she said. According to her, the KPCC had laid down certain guidelines, but procedures were carried out without adhering to them. “I have not made allegations against any individual. The matter is now under the consideration of the party leadership, so I do not wish to say more,” she added.

Deepthi said the responsibility for overseeing the election rested with the Leader of the Opposition, who had stated that she should lead the process. While the core committee met once, it did not meet again to take a final decision. “The decision was not taken at any specific meeting. The KPCC has guidelines for every matter, though deviations sometimes occur. It is for the party leadership to take action in such cases,” she said.

She clarified that she had not engaged in any group activity or campaign. According to her, there was an understanding that when senior leaders are available, they should be given priority for positions such as mayor, and she had therefore expected to be considered. “However, that did not happen,” she said.

She also noted that the DCC president had claimed that Shiny Mathew had received the highest number of votes. “It was earlier stated that the term criterion would apply only if there was an equal number of votes. However, the person who received fewer votes has now become the mayor,” she alleged.

Deepthi further stated that influencing elections or securing positions by invoking religion or caste is not Congress policy. She said she was unaware of how community-related discussions emerged during the mayoral election.

She also asserted that she is not ineligible for candidature in the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections from Thrikkakara.