The forthcoming election to the Paivalike Service Cooperative Bank has taken an unexpected turn with reports emerging that traditional rivals, the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have joined hands.
The bank is currently governed by a United Democratic Front (UDF)-Left Democratic Front (LDF) alliance, of which the CPI too is a part. The election is scheduled to be held at the Paivalike GHSS auditorium on Saturday, with 11 seats up for contention.
Candidates
For this election, the UDF is fielding candidates for six seats, with the Indian Union Muslim League nominating candidates for four and the Congress for two. On the LDF side, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] is contesting five seats. In the alleged CPI-BJP tie-up, the CPI is competing for six seats, while the BJP is fielding candidates for five. In addition, four Independent candidates too are in the race.
The bank, which has 3,600 members, is currently led by Khalil Marike of the IUML as the president. The vice-president is Sitaram Naik of the CPI(M). Zulfikar Ali, chairman of the Janakeeya Sahakarana Munnani, an alliance of the LDF and the UDF in the bank, said the political landscape had changed, with the CPI(M) now having more votes than the CPI. However, the CPI was not willing to concede an additional seat to CPI(M) in the election.
“Traditionally, the UDF and the LDF have been allies in the bank. The CPI’s collaboration with the BJP represents a significant change,” he said. The BJP had held control of the bank a decade ago, with the support of the Congress.
CPI denial
Kasaragod CPI district secretary C.P. Babu, meanwhile, denied any alliance with the BJP. He said the CPI was contesting the election independently due to a lack of agreement on seat allocation. In the previous governing body, the seat position was CPI - 4, CPI(M) - 2, IUML - 3, and Congress - 2. This time, the CPI(M) demanded an additional seat from the CPI and the president’s post. However, the demand was not acceptable to the CPI, he added.
Presently, the Paivalike grama panchayat is governed by the CPI(M) and the BJP. The three standing committee chairpersons’ postions are shared by the IUML and the CPI(M). The BJP and the CPI(M) have eight members each out of a total of 19 in the local body.
