Sunitha Dixon, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) councillor from the Vyttila division who put in her papers as chairperson of the Kochi Corporation’s public works standing committee on Thursday, said she had delayed relinquishing the post as she was unfairly asked to step down before the term originally agreed upon.
Ms. Dixon claimed that she was originally given a term of two-and-a-half years as per an understanding within the United Democratic Front (UDF), but was asked to step down after one-and-a-half years. “Now that the term has been completed, I submitted my resignation to the Corporation Secretary after informing the RSP district leadership,” she said.
She dismissed the argument that she had resigned to avoid being disqualified as a councillor and was facing a ban of six years from contesting in elections after Congress councillor V.K. Minimol approached the Election Commission for the same on the grounds of defection, and on which the High Court asked the Commission to take a call within six months. This was after Ms. Dixon violated the whip issued by RSP district secretary George Stephen to vote in favour of a no-trust motion moved by the United Democratic Front (UDF) for her removal as works standing committee chairperson. She abstained from voting along with the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).
“There was never really any ground for disqualification. The party leadership is also unlikely to take any disciplinary action now that I have resigned. I will continue to represent my division,” said Ms. Dixon.
Ms. Dixon, a three-time councillor since 2010, shifted her allegiance from the Congress to the RSP after the former declined to field her in the local body polls in 2020. She joined the RSP after the Congress allocated her division to it.
Mr. Stephen, who impleaded in the petition against her with the Election Commission, said no further disciplinary action would be taken against her if she complied with the whip and voted for the Congress candidate in the works standing committee chairperson election. “In which case, I will also request the Election Commission to withdraw the petition against Ms. Dixon,” he said.
The earlier understanding was to give a term to Ms. Dixon for one-and-a-half years and to give the rest of the term to the Congress. But she dragged on and got it initially extended by six months and then declined to step down even after that, leading to the no-trust motion, said Mr. Stephen.
The UDF remains in an unenviable position as insisting on Ms. Dixon’s disqualification will necessitate a by-election, which, being in the Opposition, it will like to avoid lest it strengthens the LDF, which now enjoys only a slender majority in the council. “The UDF will hold a meeting to decide on the works standing committee chairperson candidate and to decide on whether to persist with the case against Ms. Dixon,” said UDF councillor M.G. Aristotle.
