Kannur District Panchayat President Election: Collector bans media outlets from election venue

KANNUR: Kannur District Collector Arun K Vijayan, also the electoral officer, banned media coverage during the panchayat presidential election on Thursday. The election was held to fill the void made by PP Divya, the former president and an accused in ADM Naveen Babu’s death.

The media was banned from entering the election venue which saw heavy police deployment outside the panchayat. It was police officers who first stopped the media citing orders from superiors.

The re-election was held after PP Divya, the former district panchayat president, resigned due to the suicide of ADM Naveen Babu. Panchayat Health Education Standing Committee Chairperson KK Ratnakumari has been elected as the new district panchayat president. She is a member of the Pariyaram division.

After the official result announcement, the oath will be taken in the presence of the Collector. In the 24-member administrative committee of the district panchayat, seven members belong to the UDF and 17 members belong to the LDF.