‘Surprise’ over two candidates remains as Cong. presents rest of its panel for Kochi Corporation

The suspense over the candidates for two divisions of the Kochi Corporation—Cheralayi and Ravipuram—remained unresolved on Friday (November 14, 2025), despite the Congress’ assurance that the names would be revealed within a day.

The candidates were missing when Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan presented the party’s candidates at the District Congress Committee (DCC) office on Friday. The Congress has already announced candidates for 62 of the 76 divisions in the Corporation through two separate lists. The first list contained 40 names, followed by another list of 22 candidates on Thursday (November 13, 2025).

Announcing the second list, DCC president Muhammed Shiyas described the decision to leave out candidates for two wards as a “surprise,” though the names of BJP dissident and six-time councillor Shyamala S. Prabhu and former Congress Mayor Soumini Jain had been circulating for Cheralayi and Ravipuram divisions respectively.

Presenting the candidates, Mr. Satheesan said the Kochi Corporation should be the first local body the party wins when the results are declared. “We have the political foundation in the Corporation area to win 50 to 55 seats, and that too by a huge majority. We should be able to mount an effective campaign to defeat the LDF’s misleading narrative,” he added.

Mr. Satheesan alleged that no other government had destroyed the State to this extent. He said the LDF governing committee in the Corporation had been reaping the benefits of the ₹2,000 crore secured under the SmartCity project by the UDF committee led by former Mayor Tony Chammany between 2010 and 2015.

Earlier, Mr. Shiyas urged Congress candidates to fight until the “last weapon in their armoury” was exhausted to ensure that the party wrested back control of the Corporation, which it lost between the cup and the lip five years ago.

Meanwhile, the Indian Union Muslim League returned division 41, reserved for Scheduled Tribe woman, to the Congress. The party will field Divya Rajesh from the seat.