Kerala - Kozhikode   

BJP asks LDF, UDF to join hands in Palakkad

Special Correspondent

Party ready to vote for the common candidate

KOZHIKODE: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State unit president P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, on Tuesday, urged the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) to join hands to avert an administrative impasse in the Palakad municipal council. Neither the two alliances nor his party has enough strength to get its nominee elected chairman.

At a press conference in Kozhikode, Mr. Sreedharan Pillai announced that his party would challenge in court any move by the State Government to dissolve the municipal council and hold fresh elections on the ground that no group had been able to win a majority in the recent elections.

The BJP leadership had taken the stand that it would be illegal to hold fresh elections since the party candidate had been sworn in as vice-chairman of the municipality.

Option

In his perception, the only option open to elect a chairman was for the two fronts to field a common candidate since neither of them accepted help from the BJP to get its nominee elected to the post and had the strength to win the election on its own. The BJP was ready to vote for the common candidate.

He said his party was unable to field a candidate for the post of chairman since it was reserved for Scheduled Castes, to which none of the BJP councillors belonged.

Mr. Sreedharan Pillai said the two fronts should not have any hesitation in joining hands since they were already in alliance at the Centre.

It was to keep out the BJP from power that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was supporting the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). Why not follow the same strategy in Palakkad Municipal Council, he asked.

He hoped that the two fronts would follow "the Delhi model" in Palakkad since "all parties have an obligation to the voters in the municipality to provide them a democratic rule."

"The absence of a chairman can lead to an administrative deadlock in the municipal council and rule by bureaucrats," he said.

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