KOZHIKODE: Thottathil Raveendran from Chakkorathukulam and P. Kishan Chand from Nadakkavu division will be the most experienced councillors in the new Kozhikode municipal corporation taking oath on Thursday.
Both have over two decades of experience as councillors in the corporation established in 1962. Thottathil Raveendran, elected for the first time in 1979, went on to become its first mayor to complete five years in office in 2000-05.
Mr Chand served as the deputy mayor during 1988-89 in his very first term as councillor. Mr Raveendran is undoubtedly the most popular leader of CPM here. Though he was not interested at first, after pressure from the party, he decided to contest for the fifth time from the Chakkorathukulam.
He was its councillor for four terms since 1979. He also had a stint as the deputy mayor in the 1995 and for a brief span of one month as mayor-in-charge in 1998. However, he was not part of the last two councils.
Unlike Mr Raveendran, Mr Chand represented different wards like Nadakkavu and Valiyangadi.
He also represented multiple parties like Janata Party, Janata Dal, Janata Dal (Secular), Socialist Janata (Democratic) and finally Janata Dal (United) and sat with both LDF and UDF during his 21-year-long stint.
However, he was not a part of the 2005-10 council. The 75-member new council will take oath on Thursday at Tagore Centenary Hall at 11.30 am. The election to the posts of mayor, deputy mayor and various standing committee heads will be held on November 18.
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