For the first time in Kerala, a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) nominee has become the president of a gram panchayat, garnering the support of the Congress-led UDF.

In the election held yesterday, BSP councillor Bindu Biju was elected president of the Koruthodu panchayat in Kottayam district, securing eight votes beating the LDF nominee T V Seethamma, who got four.
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The president’s post in the panchayat is reserved for Scheduled Caste women and UDF had no option but to support Bindu Biju as both the Congress and Kerala Congress-M had no councillor from the SC community.
The election was necessitated after the disqualification of Vijayamma Raju, who was holding the post after defecting from LDF to UDF.
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