7 Keralam wards face bypolls as civic representatives quit for secure jobs

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The lure of a permanent job and a better life is hard to resist, at least for a few civic representatives in Keralam who quit their posts, paving the way for bypolls in the wards they represented.

Of the 38 local body wards going to polls on September 28, seven grama panchayat wards have fallen vacant after elected representatives resigned after securing jobs.

While two of them have travelled abroad, three have landed part-time government jobs. One member quit following her appointment as an anganwadi supervisor and another after being appointed to a minister’s staff. Of the seven people, two each are from the Congress and the CPI(M), and three from the IUML.

Choosing between the responsibilities entrusted to them by the electorate and the need for financial security has not been an easy task, some of them say.

“I was totally confused when I got the opportunity to go to Italy. I had applied for a visa in 2024. I accepted the offer to contest the election as the visa got delayed. I’m sad that I had to leave the responsibilities entrusted upon me by the people, but I didn’t have another option,” said Raji Rajeev, who quit as the member of the Puliyanam South ward of Parakkadavu grama panchayat.

She said the CPI(M) leadership allowed her to take the decision she felt was best for her life, though the reaction of the people was mixed. She hoped her decision would not affect her party’s prospects in the bypoll.

Sindu Sanjayan of the Congress quit as the member representing Blockpadi ward of Ranni Grama Panchayat in Pathanamthitta district after securing a part-time job through the Employment Exchange. She was in her fourth term as a panchayat member. “I had always wanted to find a job, and I kept renewing my application at the Employment Exchange. My party leadership and the people in the ward supported my decision,” she said.

Both Ms. Rajeev and Ms. Sanjayan said that the monthly honorarium of ₹8,000 for a panchayat member was hardly sufficient to meet their requirements.

Former Kochi Mayor M. Anilkumar, also the co-chair of the Kerala Urban Policy Commission, said the low payment had been making the job of an elected local body representative unattractive to many, including the youth.

“For long, even Corporation councillors have been quitting after securing jobs as many elected representatives find it difficult to run their day-to-day affairs with the honorarium they get. The Urban Commission had recommended increasing the amount considerably,” he said.

Soumini Jain, another former Kochi Mayor, meanwhile, felt it was wrong to relinquish the responsibilities of an elected representative midway for better income.

“Once you enter electoral politics, you should be totally committed to it and aware of what you are going to do. Leaving the people’s mandate midway and causing an unnecessary bypoll is not the right thing to do,” she said. She, however, stressed that the honorarium being paid was so low that increasing it was necessary to curb corruption.

Of the remaining 31 wards going to bypoll, 15 fell vacant following the death of sitting members, while seven became vacant after members resigned for political reasons and one after a member reportedly quit due to job stress. Bypolls were necessitated in eight wards after the members were elected as MLAs.

A grama panchayat member is eligible for a monthly honorarium of ₹8,000 and ₹200 per sitting, capped at ₹1,000 a month. The honorarium was just ₹3,000 as recently as 2022.

Elected members of a district panchayat are eligible for ₹9,800 per month, while those in block panchayats receive ₹15,600. The honorarium for municipal councillors and corporation councillors is ₹8,600 and ₹8,200, respectively.

Heads of local bodies and different standing committees are eligible for higher amounts. A district panchayat president is eligible for ₹16,800 a month and a block panchayat president for ₹15,600. In grama panchayats, presidents get ₹14,200, while the honorarium for municipal chairpersons and corporation mayors is ₹15,600 and ₹15,800, respectively.

The State Finance Commission has recommended increasing the honorarium of elected representatives in local bodies.

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