K.C. Vasanthi Vijayan of the United Democratic Front (UDF) was on Tuesday elected president of Mavoor grama panchayat in Kozhikode, as part of an understanding between the alliance partners in the UDF.
In the first one-and-a-half-years of the current five-year tenure of the local body, a member of the Indian Union Muslim League was the president. For the past one-and-a-half years, a member of the Revolutionary Marxist Party of India held office. Ms. Vijayan, who belongs to the Congress, and represents Ward 11, will now be at the helm till the end of the current council’s tenure.
In the election held on Tuesday, she defeated A.P. Mohandas of the Left Democratic Front (LDF). Mr. Mohandas belongs to the CPI(M) and represents Ward 6. While Ms. Vijayan won nine votes, her rival candidate got seven votes.
In the 18-member grama panchayat, the UDF had 10 members and the LDF eight. The UDF, however, has nine members now after the death of A.P. Abdul Kareem, who represented Ward 13. The LDF has seven members with the CPI(M) recently expelling K. Unnikrishnan, an Independent member. His vote was termed invalid in the election.