By Express News Service KOCHI: Elections to the posts of chairpersons of Kochi corporation’s town planning and welfare standing committees will be held on Wednesday. The LDF has a majority of six in the nine-member town planning committee making its candidate Sunila Selvan a sure-shot winner. The seat is reserved for woman candidates and Sunila is the lone woman member in the committee. The UDF is keeping its fingers crossed on the outcome of the welfare standing committee chairperson election. Factional feud in the Congress is posing a threat to its chances in the committee. If there is cross-voting, UDF candidate P D Martin may end up losing to LDF’s V S Shine. “LDF has gained control of almost all major standing committees. The UDF even lost control over the development committee as its chairperson Gracy Joseph was recently suspended from the Congress. Several councillors are upset with the UDF’s rule in the corporation. We expect some cross-voting on Wednesday, which will help the LDF to capture the welfare committee,” said K J Antony, the opposition leader in the corporation. UDF received the first jolt when health standing committee chairperson V K Minimol resigned in January 2019 after T K Shamsudheen decided to shift his alliance from UDF to LDF. In finance committee election in June 2019, LDF councillor Biju Thottali was elected as member by one vote after two Congress councillors voted for him. Dissent in the UDF over a change of guard also helped the LDF bag the town planning standing committee chairperson post. Meanwhile, election to fill the vacant positions in the tax appeal committee will be held on Wednesday. Shiny Mathew, the only councillor who is not a member of any committee, will be absorbed in the committee. Kalamassery municipality: Heads of 3 panels resign Kochi: Chairpersons of three Congress standing committees of Kalamassery municipality resigned on Tuesday. Chairpersons Shiny Antony (Health), Martin Thayankery (Welfare) and Laiby Babu (Development) have resigned on the party’s directive. Congress Kalamassery Mandalam president A K Basheer said fresh faces will be appointed in their stead after discussions with the DCC. The municipal secretary will now inform the Election Commission of the development and the date of the election to the posts will be announced as per the commission’s directive.

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