Congress Defection Sparks Protests as BJP Gains Control of Mattathur Panchayat

Thrissur: Widespread protests have broken out in Mattathur Panchayat in Thrissur district following the mass defection of Congress members to the BJP, a move alleged to have subverted the public mandate. In protest against what it described as Congress’s betrayal to bring the BJP to power, the DYFI erected a flex board in front of the panchayat office.

The board, put up by the DYFI Mattathur area committee, featured an image combining the lotus and hand symbols with the caption “Congress Janata Party in Mattathur,” highlighting the alleged Congress–BJP nexus.

On Saturday morning, ahead of the presidential election, all Congress members resigned en masse, paving the way for the BJP to gain control of the panchayat. Independent candidate Tessy Jose Kallarackal, who contested as a rebel, was elected president with the support of BJP and Congress members. In the 24-member panchayat, the BJP–Congress alliance candidate secured 12 votes, while LDF candidate K O Ouseph received 11 votes. One vote was declared invalid.

For the vice-president’s post, Congress member P U Noorjahan won with the support of the BJP, securing 13 votes. The party strength in the panchayat stood at LDF–10, UDF–8, BJP–4, and Independents–2. Of the two independents, one supported the LDF and the other backed the UDF.

The eight Congress members formally informed the DCC president of their resignation from the party and subsequently extended support to Tessy Jose Kallarackal for the president’s post.

By aligning with the BJP overnight, Congress has demonstrated that it has no hesitation in forging communal alliances on the lines of the Arunachal Pradesh model. Party workers have accused DCC general secretary T M Chandran and Mattathur mandalam president Shafi Kalluparambil of masterminding the political coup.