K.K. Ratnakumari elected Kannur district panchayat president; P.P. Divya absent during voting

K.K. Ratnakumari elected Kannur district panchayat president in Kerala amid controversy, succeeding P.P. Divya with majority LDF support.

K.K. Ratnakumari, representing the Left Democratic Front (LDF), was elected Kannur district panchayat president on Thursday (November 14, 2024), securing 16 votes against Opposition candidate M. Jubilee Chacko, who received seven votes.

P.P. Divya, the former president, was notably absent from voting, reportedly due to bail conditions following legal complications related to the death of former Additional District Magistrate (ADM) K. Naveen Babu.

The election, held to fill the vacancy created by Ms. Divya’s resignation, took place under the supervision of District Collector Arun K. Vijayan. However, a controversy arose when the police, on the Collector’s instructions, barred journalists from entering the panchayat hall to cover the event, sparking criticism over transparency in the election process.

Ms. Ratnakumari, formerly the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Health and Education, now leads the 24-member panchayat governing body, where the LDF holds a majority of 17 members to the UDF’s seven.

Her election comes nearly a month after the ADM’s contentious farewell event, which allegedly contributed to his suicide.

Following Ms. Ratnakumari’s victory, Ms. Divya shared a Facebook post congratulating Ms. Ratnakumari and expressing her commitment to the panchayat’s mission, despite her resignation as president. “There are many dreams to fulfil, and as a member of the panchayat’s management committee, I am with you to realise these ambitions,” Ms. Divya wrote.

Ms. Divya also extended her gratitude to the governing body members, staff, the media, and LDF leaders for their “support” during her over three-year tenure as president.