PATHANAMTHITTA: Both the rival political coalitions, Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) are lobbying for power in Thiruvalla and Pathanamthitta, which have registered hung verdict in the just-concluded local body polls.

Both the fronts are short of three seats in the 29-member Pathanamthitta municipality. Here the LDF and the UDF have 12 members each while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has succeeded in sending its maiden member to the civic body.

The stand taken by the four Independent members would decide whether the municipality should go the UDF-way or the LDF-way.

The CPI(M) in the district claims that two Independents have already assured their support to its chairman candidate. They reiterate that the Left Democratic Front would govern the Pathanamthitta municipality.

Meanwhile, hectic parleys are under way in the UDF camp too to `manage' the support of at least three Independents for its chairman candidate.

District Congress Committee (DCC) vice-president and the former municipal chairman P.Mohanraj and Youth Congress district president A. Sureshkumar are the front-runners for the chairman post, if the UDF manages to get the support of three Independents in the municipal council.

The CPI(M) district committee meeting to be held in the next two days will take a decision on their chairman candidate, according to party sources here.

CPI(M) State secretariat member, T.M. Thomas Issac, MLA, too is camping in Pathanamthitta to discuss the issue.

In Thiruvalla, the three BJP members who have been elected to the 36-member municipality hold the key in the ensuing election of the civic body chief to be held next week.

The UDF has 17 members and the LDF-DIC(K) combine has 15 members in the 36-member civic body, besides an independent and three Bharatiya Janata Party members.

BJP State president P.S. Sreedharan Pillai has already clarified his party's policy towards the local bodies with a hung verdict.

The writing on the wall suggests that the UDF is likely to assume power in Thiruvalla with the support of the three BJP members.

There were also reports of local-level `understanding' entered into between the Kerala Congress(M) and the BJP in Thiruvalla in the just-concluded elections.

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