BJP loses power in Paralam panchayat as LDF supports UDF no-trust motion
The 17-member council had six members each from the BJP and UDF, with the remaining seats held by the LDF. The BJP had secured power through a draw after the council was left evenly divided. BJP calls move a 'betrayal of the people’s mandate, Congress hails it as a victory for democracy
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has lost power in the Paralam panchayat in Thrissur district following support from the Left Democratic Front (LDF) for a no-confidence motion initiated by the United Democratic Front (UDF). Opposition parties secured ten votes, while the BJP had six votes in the vote held on Thursday. An invalid vote cast by an UDF member was excluded from the tally.
BJP officials deemed this a "betrayal of the people's mandate," while UDF members celebrated it as a victory for democracy. UDF alleged that the BJP had gained control of the panchayat through political maneuvering, claiming that this upset the balance of power. The BJP had initially won control of the panchayat for the first time, with the 17-member council evenly divided between six BJP members, six UDF members, and five LDF members.
The BJP had managed to secure power through a draw. However, six months after the BJP took office, the UDF moved the no-confidence motion which was passed in the Thursday vote with the LDF's support, marking the end of the BJP's brief tenure. BJP's Thrissur district president Justin Jacob strongly criticized the cooperation between the LDF and UDF that led to the downfall of the BJP administration, alleging that it showed an emerging "dangerous direction" in Keralam politics.
He further stated that the UDF-LDF alliance to keep the BJP out of power was an insult to democracy. Jacob concluded by warning that the BJP would build a strong resistance against such unholy alliances formed to stop the party.
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