Congress finalises P. Indira as Mayor nominee in Kannur Corporation

The Congress on Thursday announced senior leader P. Indira as its Mayor candidate in the Kannur Corporation.

The announcement was made by Kannur MP K. Sudhakaran at a press conference held at the District Congress Committee (DCC) office. The decision was taken at a Congress core committee meeting held earlier in the day.

The names of outgoing Deputy Mayor Ms. Indira and Mahila Congress district president Sreeja Mathil were considered for the post, before the party finalised Ms. Indira as its mayoral nominee.

Senior leaders K.C. Venugopal and Mr. Sudhakaran backed Ms. Indira’s candidature. She had won from the Payyamabalam ward by a margin of 48 votes in a tight contest that included a Congress rebel candidate.

Ms. Indira has a long association with the civic administration in Kannur. She has served as a councillor in both the Kannur municipality and later the Corporation. She has also held key positions, including being the chairperson of the Health and Public Works Standing Committees.

Her political career began with student politics in the Kerala Students’ Union (KSU) and later became the chairperson of Krishna Menon Memorial Government Women’s College through an upset victory. Since the formation of the Kannur Corporation in 2015, Ms. Indira has been elected councillor continuously.

The United Democratic Front (UDF) retained control of the 56- member Corporation by winning 36 seats in the recent civic polls.

As part of the UDF’s power sharing arrangement, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader K.P. Thahir is being considered for the Deputy Mayor’s post.

Former MP Ramya Haridas and DCC president Martin George were among those present at the press conference.