Kozhikode Mayor Beena Philip is unlikely to contest in the forthcoming local body polls. Responding to a query on her second term at a press meet here on Friday, the Mayor dismissed the idea with a smile. “How old do you think I am? Let the new generation come in,” she said.
Over the five years since she assumed charge as the Mayor of Kozhikode, known as the City of Truth, Ms. Philip, a retired teacher, has been the face of the city nationally and internationally. Well-educated, well-read, approachable, and sophisticated, but without the airs of a politician, Ms. Philip was a handpicked candidate for the post by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] in the district. She succeeded in taking the name of the city to bigger platforms and making a new name for itself globally.
Getting the city recognised as a ‘City of Literature’ by UNESCO could easily be one of her greatest achievements during the tenure, for which she had put in a great deal of effort. The tag resonated with the sentiments of the common people of the city, not just the intelligentsia, and became a matter of pride for the citizens.
Beena Philip, with her clean image, could overcome the public’s distrust of politicians in general. Her requests and suggestions on behalf of the Corporation were hence better received and accepted by the public. However, she often landed in controversies for her honest and heart-touching statements that were considered unbecoming of a communist leader or for conflicting the official stand of the party. She learned to be more careful with her statements on the job.
Though she is not actively entertaining the idea of another term in the Corporation, she is reportedly one of the candidates to contest from Kozhikode North constituency in the forthcoming Assembly polls. If all goes well, she may replace Thottathil Raveendran, also her predecessor in the Mayor’s chair, as an MLA.
Published – October 25, 2025 01:43 am IST
