Political Parties Jostle Over Candidates for Ayyappankkavu By‑poll

When Deputy Mayor Deepak Joy vacated his seat in the Ayyappankkavu division after winning the Thripunithura assembly seat, a by‑election was set in motion. The contest, however, is expected to be more about party optics than any real shift in power.

The Kochi Corporation council comprises 76 seats, but with the Ayyappankkavu post empty it temporarily stands at 75. The United Democratic Front (UDF) currently leans on the support of 47 councillors – even counting an independent – leaving the Left Democratic Front (LDF) with a modest 22 and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with six.

Given that the UDF already enjoys a comfortable majority, the upcoming poll is seen as a low‑stakes affair. Still, every party wants to showcase its organisational muscle, and that’s why the scramble for candidates is already in full swing.

At a ward‑committee meeting on September 6, the UDF received a surprising eleven applications. Among the hopefuls, two former mandalam presidents – Mohandas and Ajith – have emerged as frontrunners, though the party’s senior leaders have kept their cards close to their chest. The gathering, attended by Deepak Joy, MLA T.J. Vinod and Ernakulam UDF chairperson Dominic Presentation, decided to defer the final pick to the District Congress Committee, with nomination papers due by September 10.

The LDF is not sitting idle either. Sources say the Ernakulam Area Committee will meet on Monday to shortlist names, which will then be forwarded to the district leadership for approval.

For the BJP, the decision was swift. The party announced Bejoy K.D., the co‑convenor of its district media cell, as its candidate. His campaign is already gearing up, hoping to make a dent in a ward traditionally dominated by the front‑running alliances.

While the result is unlikely to alter the balance of power in the corporation, local activists say the by‑poll will serve as a litmus test for each party’s grassroots reach ahead of the next municipal elections.