The tenuous coalition that brought the United Democratic Front (UDF) to power in the Pala municipality appeared on the brink of collapse on Thursday (June 11) with six councillors of the ruling combine hardening their stance against the chairperson.

In a letter submitted to the UDF leadership, the councillors, including incumbent vice-chairperson Maya Rahul, stated that they no longer had confidence in the three-member independent collective to which Chairperson Diya Pulikkakandam belongs. The Congress signatories to the letter are Biju Mathews, Lissikutty Mathew, Riya Cheeramkuzhy, Tony Thaiparambil and Rajith Prakash.

The letter alleges that the Congress has repeatedly suffered humiliation at the hands of the independent collective and that neither the Congress councillors nor the standing committee chairpersons representing the party have been given any meaningful role in the administration of the municipality. Despite this, it says, the Congress councillors had refrained from raising objections in the interest of ensuring the UDF’s victory in Pala and strengthening the front in the State.

In a significant political move later in the day, the Congress councillors in the municipality elected Tony Thaiparambil as the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party.

The developments assume added significance because the UDF enjoys only a razor-thin majority in the 26-member council. The front has 10 members, comprising six Congress councillors, three from Kerala Congress (Joseph) and one from the Kerala Democratic Party (KDP). It is only with the support of the three-member independent collective and a Congress rebel that the UDF has managed to retain control of the municipality.

The latest developments have fuelled speculation that Chairperson Diya Pulikkakandam could resign, a scenario that may pave the way for the Kerala Congress (M) to regain control of the municipality, which had slipped from its hands only a few months ago.

Adding to the intrigue, the KC(M) has now clarified that it will neither enter into any agreement with nor extend or accept support from the independent group led by the Pulikkakandam family.

“KC (M) is the single largest party in the Pala municipality with 10 members. Despite overtures made by the independent front through intermediaries after the municipal elections, we chose to remain in the Opposition. The party is committed to principled politics and has consistently adhered to a path of integrity, and that position remains unchanged despite the recent developments in the municipality,” said the KC(M) district president Lopez Mathew.

Meanwhile, the UDF leadership has initiated efforts to defuse the crisis and bridge the differences between the Congress and the independent councillors. A meeting of UDF councillors was convened at the residence of Pala MLA Mani C. Kappen on Thursday evening, with the discussions led by Kerala Congress (Joseph) leader K. Francis George MP, DCC president Biju Punnathanam and other senior leaders.