The Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation successfully concluded elections for most of its crucial standing committees on Friday. However, a significant exception emerged as the tax appeal standing committee was left incomplete, with two seats remaining vacant following last-minute withdrawals by BJP councillors.
Election Day Dynamics and the Unfilled Committee
Corporation Secretary Jahamgeer S confirmed that elections for seven standing committees were successfully held. The sole committee that could not be fully constituted was the tax appeal standing committee. This situation arose after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had initially nominated five councillors for this panel, saw two of them withdraw their candidacies.
These two councillors subsequently filed fresh nomination papers to contest for positions in the works and the education–sports standing committees instead. This strategic shift left the tax appeal committee without enough candidates to fill all its seats, creating an unusual vacancy in the corporation's administrative structure.
Rule-Bound Impasse and the Path Forward
Secretary Jahamgeer S clarified the legal constraints preventing an immediate solution. "As per rules, a re-election cannot be conducted for the tax appeal standing committee," he stated. The corporation is now obligated to report these vacancies to the State Election Commission for further guidance.
Jahamgeer added a crucial point regarding the overall completion of the election process. He indicated that the final steps could only be taken once the pending election for the Vizhinjam ward is held and the newly elected councillor from that ward is formally sworn in. This suggests the vacant seats might be addressed in conjunction with that pending election.
Week of Deferred Polls and Final Outcomes
The Friday polls marked the resolution of a delayed electoral process. Earlier in the week, elections for five of the eight standing committees had to be postponed. This deferral occurred because, during the initial nomination phase held on Wednesday, several committees did not receive the required number of nominations to proceed.
On Friday, the corporation finally conducted elections for the following key committees:
- Finance Standing Committee
- Development Standing Committee
- Health Standing Committee
- Works Standing Committee
- Education–Sports Standing Committee
A fresh nomination submitted by a BJP councillor for the works standing committee also went to a vote, with the BJP candidate emerging victorious. The next critical phase in the corporation's administrative setup will be the elections for the chairpersons of all these standing committees, which are scheduled to be held on January 14.
