A Kerala-based corporate group Anna Kitex will literally govern the entire panchayat for the first time after winning the elections.
Dancing has not stopped in the last two days in Kizhakambalam panchayat of Ernakulam district in Kerala.
This is where history has been made. A Kerala-based corporate group Anna Kitex will literally govern the entire panchayat for the first time after winning the elections. As a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme, Kitex Group launched a social platform Twenty20 and fielded 19 independent candidates, for all the wards. Their promise of turning the panchayat into a model one by 2020 is clearly working. They swept the elections-winning 17 of the 19 wards in the panchayat.
"This is a record first time that a corporate is winning the elections in India. We hardly spent any money in comparison to the UDF and the LDF for campaigning and we will ensure that all 36,000 people of this panchayat, will be treated equally, given justice and we will wipe out corruption."
The losing politicians still disagree, blaming the group's money power for the loss. In this traditional UDF stronghold, the Twenty20 candidates not just won, they wiped out the two main political groups--the Congress-led UDF and the CPM-led LDF. Both fronts failed to win a single ward.
"This is a show of money power and how people can be impressed by it. People will soon understand their folly and regret their decision", claimed a local LDF leader N Baby living in the panchayat.
"This is unprecedented and we accept failure and we will have to seriously look into what caused our defeat in our strong bastion. There has been an ongoing conflict between the UDF and this company since years," state Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said.
The outgoing panchayat had denied the group licences for a few projects saying they would be polluting but the group has got the ultimate licence in the people's court.