Congress-BJP alliance in Mattathur panchayat again; vice president is Congress' Minimol

THRISSUR: There is a Congress-BJP alliance in Mattathur panchayat again. BJP members voted for Congress in the vice-presidential election. Congress member Minimol was elected as vice president.

The party strength in the panchayat is as follows: LDF - 10, UDF - eight, NDA - four, rebels - two. Two Congress members abstained from the election. One rebel supported LDF. With BJP also supporting Minimol, the vote share for LDF and Congress was 11-11. The vice president was then chosen by drawing lots.

Panchayat Vice President Noorjehan Nawaz, who had won in Mattathur panchayat with BJP's votes, had resigned from his post following the directions of the Congress leadership earlier. In Mattathur, which has 24 members, LDF is the largest single party with 11 seats.