Internal dissent within Congress over selection of Kochi mayor candidate intensifies

Rumblings within the Congress over the manner in which mayoral candidates in the Kochi Corporation in Kerala were selected have grown louder, with Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) general secretary and two-time councillor Deepthi Mary Varghese, who was overlooked for the mayor’s post, doubling down on her criticism of alleged discrepancies in following the guidelines laid out in the KPCC circular regarding the selection process.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday morning, Ms. Varghese reiterated her charge that the process was not followed, as the opinion of Congress councillors was not elicited in a free and fair manner and in the absence of a KPCC observer, as mandated by the circular. She also took a swipe at Ernakulam District Congress Committee (DCC) president Muhammed Shiyas, who claimed that the KPCC circular was a major consideration and had been complied with, remarking that “perhaps he had not read the circular properly and should read it again.”

Ms. Varghese said she was asked by the Congress leadership, including Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, who was directly in charge of the Corporation election, to lead the party’s fight to reclaim power there. “Throughout the election, I strictly complied with that direction. Let him (Mr. Satheesan) explain why there was a change in the decision. When a decision changes, it is for those taking behind that change to explain it,” she said.

Ms. Varghese added that she has informed the KPCC president about the “violations” of the selection process as laid down in the circular. “My only protest is against creating the impression that I did not have support in the Congress parliamentary party. I am confident that many councillors would have backed me if their opinions had been collected in a free and fair manner through a confidential process. Juniors among the elected councillors would naturally have had apprehensions about airing their opinions openly,” she said.

Asked whether community pressure was behind the selection of mayoral candidates, Ms. Varghese said it was for the KPCC to verify whether the party’s secular credentials had been compromised. She added that she had no knowledge of any conspiracy against her and felt there was no need for one.

Ms. Varghese further stated that she was neither offered an alternative position nor was she interested in one. She pledged her “full support” to both of the party’s mayoral candidates in the city’s governance.