The Congress suffered an early setback in the Peringottukurissi grama panchayat in Palakkad when nominations of its two key candidates were rejected. The Congress is facing a big challenge thrown by dissident leader and former party district president A.V. Gopinathan in Peringottukurissi, one of the party’s traditional bastions in the district.
The nominations of Congress candidates T.K. Sujita, Ward 12, and Deepa Girish, Ward 15, were rejected for want of proper documents.
The Independent Democratic Front (IDF) formed by Mr. Gopinathan has joined hands with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the panchayat to take on the Congress. While the IDF is contesting 11 seats, the LDF has candidates in seven seats.
Cong. stronghold
The Congress has been ruling Peringottukurissi for six decades. In the outgoing panchayat council, the United Democratic Front (UDF) has 11 members and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] five. With two additional wards carved out in the delimitation, the panchayat now has 18 wards.
Although a face of the Congress’s ‘I’ group in the district, Mr. Gopinathan has been keeping aloof from the party for several years. But he turned aggressive after he was denied a seat in the Assembly elections in 2021.
With two nominations rejected, the Congress suffered an early setback even as it battles to hold on to the panchayat and ward off challenges from Mr. Gopinathan.
Published – November 24, 2025 08:12 pm IST
