Palakkad: Pramila Sasidharan was on Monday elected as the new chairperson of the BJP-ruled Palakkad Municipal Corporation. The election was called for after the resignation of the previous president, Priya Ajayan.
While Pramila got 28 votes in the 52-member council, UDF candidate Mini Babu got 17 votes and CPM candidate Usha Ramachandran got 7 votes. Pramila Sasidharan was BJP’s first-ever municipal chairperson in Kerala when the party created history by winning the local body in 2015.
Even on the eve of the election, the BJP was yet to finalise an official candidate as two of its leaders had staked a claim for the key position.
Currently, the BJP governs two of the 87 municipalities in Kerala, the other one is Pandalam in Pathanamthitta district, where the party rules with a majority of 18 seats in a 33-member council.
Priya Ajayan had cited personal reasons for stepping down from the chairperson’s role. However, it is understood that she had strong opposition from within the party.