The Congress build-up over fielding a ‘surprise’ candidate from the Ravipuram division of the Kochi Corporation proved somewhat underwhelming after the party declared Antony Judy, who contested on Twenty20 ticket from Ernakulam in last year’s general elections, as its candidate.
He had bagged nearly 40,000 votes and ended up fourth in the contest that was won by Congress’ Hibi Eden by a mammoth 2.50 lakh votes. Mr. Judy is a lawyer by profession and resident of the Ravipuram division.
While the Congress had declared its candidates for 62 out of the 64 divisions in the Corporation, the candidates for two seats — Cheralayi and Ravipuram — were left unannounced, with the party claiming that a ‘surprise’ was in store. The candidate for the Cheralayi division, where the party is trying to woo disgruntled six-time councillor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Shyamala S. Prabhu, is yet to be announced.
There were reports that the party had been holding consultations with Soumini Jain for the Ravipuram division, from which she had won as a Congress candidate and became Mayor for the 2015-2020 term. However, it has now emerged that while the district leadership had inquired about her willingness to contest, no talks were held beyond it, and no assurances were given about her potential role if the United Democratic Front (UDF) is voted to power. Having served as Mayor, it was clear that Ms. Jain would not be willing to remain a mere councillor, and she reportedly told the party as much.
With the Left Democratic Front (LDF) fielding sitting councillor S. Sasikala, a formidable candidate, the UDF needed a heavyweight to put up a stiff fight. Interestingly, Malini Kurup, three-time councillor who the party has denied candidacy from her sitting seat Girinagar, is a resident of Ravipuram. She is now contesting from Girinagar as an Independent with potential CPI support. “I have never asked for the Ravipuram seat. In fact, I even told the party leadership that Soumini Jain could be fielded from that division if she was willing to contest,” said Ms. Kurup, who also accused the leadership of not maintaining community balance in the allocation of seats having fielded just four Nair candidates in 76 divisions.
Meanwhile, the scourge of rebel candidates that has plagued the Congress over the years seems to have raised its head yet again in the Corporation. After Santha Vijayan, sitting councillor from the Devankulangara ward defected to the BJP and has since been ousted from the Congress, and Ms. Kurup, K.R. Premkumar, former Congress councillor and Deputy Mayor for a brief period during the 2015-20, has also threatened to fight as an Independent from the Konam division, which the UDF has allocated to the Communist Marxist Party.
Sitting councillor from Karuvelippady Bastin Babu may also throw his hat into the ring after he was left out. Reportedly, he had asked for six months’ leave from the party and publicly announced his decision to make way for youngsters on social media before expressing his interest in contesting from the neighbouring Chullikkal division by which time another candidate was already in the fray there. Joseph Alex, who represented the Mamangalam division in 2015, is also discontented after being overlooked as a candidate from the general ward of Palarivattom, which the party has assigned to multi-term councillor V.K. Minimol. Mr. Alex lost at Karanakkodam division in 2020.
Published – November 15, 2025 08:45 pm IST
