KOCHI: Thrikkakara municipal chairman Shaji Vazhakkala on Monday resigned from the post after a rebellion against him by a group of 20 Congress councillors owing allegiance to former chairman P.I. Mohammedali.
Shaji said that he was resigning to avert a crisis in the party and blamed local Congress MLA Benny Behanan for the situation.
However, sources close to the MLA said that Shaji was bound to leave the post as per an agreement in the party and that there was direction by KPCC president V.M. Sudheerana to him to vacate the post.
The crisis got deepened the other day after 20 out of the 25 Congress councillors kept off a meeting of the council chaired by Shaji. In the 43-member Thrikkakara municipal council, ruling UDF has 30 members.
Shaji assumed the office of chairman some 10 months ago after a protracted struggle within the party replacing Mohammedali. As per the agreement in the party, Shaji was to vacate the post again for Mohammedali for the last one year of the present council.
The Thrikkakara municipality, considered one of the richest in the state, houses the civil station, which is the headquarters of the district administration, besides the Infopark, several private IT companies, Cochin Special Economic Zone and a number of residential high risers.
