Kerala local body polls: Jewellery hub of Koduvally has many Independents in the fray

Koduvally town in Kozhikode district used to hit the headlines in yesteryear because of the unbelievably high number of jewellery shops lining its streets and their alleged links with gold smuggling. During Assembly and local body elections, however, this place is often in the news for the Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s [CPI(M)] unique experiment of fielding a high number of Independent candidates, who are quite often rebels from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).

In the 2020 local body elections, the United Democratic Front (UDF) had won 21 seats in the 36-member council and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) six. In this IUML stronghold, 16 of the 21 UDF members were from the League and five from the Congress. Four seats went to the National Secular Conference, an organisation floated by the LDF’s Kunnamangalam MLA P.T.A. Raheem, one to the Welfare Party of India (WPI), and the rest were bagged by Independents.

In the 2015 council, the UDF and its Independents had 19 seats, LDF 16, and there was an Independent member.

The number of wards has gone up to 37 now.

The electoral contest here in 2020 also garnered attention with the candidature of Karat Faisal, who was earlier questioned in connection with a gold smuggling case at the Calicut International Airport and also the diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. Mr. Faisal had won from the Parambathukavu ward in 2015. Though he was initially declared an LDF-backed Independent candidate from Choondapuram, the front asked Mr. Faisal to back out after he was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in the diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case. CPI(M) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s journey in a luxury car owned by Mr. Faisal in 2017 during a ‘Jana Jagratha Yatra’ had also snowballed into a controversy. Thereafter, Mr. Faisal decided to contest without LDF support from Choondapuram and won the seat. The LDF suffered a major embarrassment as O.P. Rasheed, the INL candidate it supported against Mr. Faisal, drew a blank. The Choondapuram branch of the CPI(M) was disbanded after the declaration of the poll results.

With Mr. Faisal being fielded by the LDF in the upcoming elections again, this time from the South Koduvally ward, the CPI(M) seems to be continuing its experiment with ‘Independents.’ Of the candidates declared by the LDF, at least 12 are Independents. As many candidates are either from the INL or are supported by that party. The CPI(M) is contesting in three wards. The UDF is contesting in 35 wards. The WPI has declared two candidates. In the 2020 elections, the UDF had a tie-up with the WPI here.

Secretary shifted

Meanwhile, the Local Self-Government department recently shifted V.S. Manoj, the municipal secretary, after complaints about electoral roll errors and his prolonged absence from duty, following orders from the State Election Commission. Anil Kumar Nochayyil, who replaced him, was also removed from his post following a stay order by the State Administrative Tribunal on his appointment.