KOLLAM: Will it be yet another hung Council for the Kollam City Corporation. The decision of the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) to contest 33 divisions of the Corporation and support Congress rebels in three divisions have the potential for such an eventuality.

In addition to having the strength to put a strong fight in at least six divisions, the DIC is not only in a position to spoil the fortunes of the UDF, but even the LDF in some divisions.

The maiden election to the Corporation in September 2000 gave a hung Council. The LDF won 24 divisions and the UDF 22. The UDF rebels won two and the PDP, which stood independently, also won two.

The initial calculation was that the UDF would rule with the support of the rebels and the PDP members. But that calculation went wrong.

Though the PDP agreed to support the UDF, the rebels went to the LDF camp, taking the LDF tally to 26, the minimum strength required to rule the Corporation.

Now, the Corporation has 52 divisions. It means that the front that wins 27 divisions will be in a position to rule. Given the September 2000 experience, both the LDF and the UDF exude confidence in the backdrop of a fear over another hung council. A couple of strong independents (read rebels) are there in the fray this time too.

In the maiden Council, the mayor's post was reserved for a woman. In 2000, while the UDF went to the voters projecting its mayoral candidate, the LDF was undecided on its candidate.

This time, a man will occupy the mayor's seat. But both the LDF and the UDF are not projecting any one as a mayoral candidate.

Since the LDF and the UDF have already made it more or less clear that the their respective mayoral candidate will be a man, the councillor to become the mayor will come from any of 34 divisions were men are contesting. Sixteen divisions have been reserved for women and another two for women from the Scheduled Communities. There are 248 candidates in the fray.

There is considerable unrest in the LDF and UDF over the choice of candidates. While the displeasure within the Congress has gone public, a similar situation is simmering within some division committees of the CPI(M) too.

Added to that, residents associations say that both the fronts have fielded wrong candidates in some of the divisions. And for that matter, the residents associations cannot be underestimated. Political parties also fear voter apathy this time too. They do not rule out that such situations could be indicators that portend a hung council.

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