Kerala local body polls witness further surge of Twenty-20 apolitical forum

The further surge of an apolitical forum at Ernakulam district in Kerala is one of the highlight of the Kerala local body election results.

Twenty-20, a forum initiated as part of the CSR activities of Kitex Garments based at Kizhakkambalam, about 20 kilometres from Kochi city, has not only retained the Kizhakambalam panchayat, but also recorded thumping victory in all the four more panchayts it contested this time.

Kizhakambalam panchayat shot to limelight in 2015 local body election as Twenty-20 won 17 of the 19 seats. This time they contested in four more nearby panchayats and recorded a sweeping victory. Twenty-20 was even leading in all the wards in the Aikaranadu and Muzhavanoor panchayats. Vengola and Kunnathunadu are the other pachayats the forum was having majority.

Sabu Jacob, managing director of Kitex Garments and chief coordinator of the Twenty-20, said that the victory in four more panchayats and retaining the existing Kizhakambalam panchayat was a recognition of the people for the work initiated by Twenty-20.

Addressing the basic needs of the people by providing drinking water, housing and good roads, a host of welfare activities and opening a shop selling grocery items at very reasonable prices were the highlights of the initiatives of Twenty-20 at Kizhakambalam.

The concerns of mainstream political parties over emergence of the apolitical forum was very well evident with the CPM-led Left Democratic Front and the Congress-led United Democratic Front jointly fielding candidates at some of the wards in the panchayat and even unleashing violence on the polling day. Twenty-20 candidate won in that ward also.

Now the state is eagerly awaiting if Twenty-20 would field candidates in the upcoming Assembly polls.

Meanwhile, the mainstream political parties has been expressing concerns over a corporate firm having control over a pachayat. CPM leaders had alleged that it was threat to democracy.