Pala municipal chairperson Diya Binu.

The survival of the United Democratic Front (UDF) administration in the Pala municipality in Kerala hangs in the balance as the no-confidence motion against chairperson Diya Binu comes up for discussion and voting on Tuesday (July 21, 2026), with the Congress still struggling to contain a damaging split within its own ruling alliance.

In a last-ditch attempt to keep the coalition afloat, the District Congress Committee (DCC) on Monday (July 20, 2026) issued a whip directing its councillors to vote against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) motion. The move, however, has done little to dispel uncertainty. Party sources said at least two Congress councillors are weighing defiance, a development that could result in Ms. Binu’s ouster.

“None of the councillors has openly responded to the whip because many are yet to make up their minds. Despite the directive, there is a growing feeling that continuing to back the Independent collective could be politically suicidal,” said a Congress councillor.

Suspension revoked

The Congress, meanwhile, has revoked the suspension of Maya Rahul, who contested the last local body election as a rebel. Though the party whip will not apply to her since she was elected as an Independent, the leadership hopes she will side with the UDF at the crucial vote.

The suspense stems from the fractured verdict in the 26-member council. The LDF has 12 members, comprising 10 from the Kerala Congress (M) and two from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), while the UDF has only 10—six Congress, three Kerala Congress (Joseph) and one Kerala Democratic Party (KDP). The UDF formed the administration with the support of the three-member Independent collective and Ms. Rahul.

That arrangement, however, proved unstable from the outset. The Independents initially demanded both the chairperson and vice-chairperson posts for the first half of the council’s tenure. Following intervention by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and the UDF leadership, a compromise was worked out under which Ms. Binu became chairperson while Ms. Rahul, despite being a Congress rebel, was accommodated as vice-chairperson for six months.

Uneasy truce

The uneasy truce soon unravelled and the differences soon escalated into a public confrontation, with both camps filing police complaints against each other. Congress councillors and Ms. Rahul eventually declared that they had lost confidence in the chairperson and withdrew their support while repeated mediation attempts by the District Congress Committee (DCC) failed to bridge the widening divide.

Amid the turmoil, the LDF served notice for a no-confidence motion against the chairperson. The Opposition has maintained that its move is aimed at discharging its responsibility and not at capturing power through backdoor.

Published - July 20, 2026 08:56 pm IST