Sunitha Dixon steps down as works standing committee chairperson of Kochi Corpn.

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 twoandahalf years as per an understanding within the United Democratic Front (UDF), but was asked to step down after oneandahalf 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

Councillor says she delayed relinquishing post as she was unfairly asked to step down before the term originally agreed upon.

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 notrust 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).

Ms. Dixon, a threetime 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.

‘No disciplinary action’

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 oneandahalf years and to give the rest of the term to the Congress. But she dragged on and got it extended by six months and then declined to step down even after that, leading to the notrust motion, said Mr. Stephen.

The UDF remains in an unenviable position as insisting on Ms. Dixon’s disqualification will necessitate a byelection, 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.

The southern districts of Kerala had a respite from the stifling summer heat with moderate to heavy spells of rainfall ushering in cooler weather on Friday.

Several places, including Thiruvananthapuram city, experienced thunder