'Operation Lotus' wrests control of Mattathur

A coordinated political re alignment in Mattathur pa nchayat has altered the ba lance of power in the local body after a bloc of elected members resigned from the Congress and joined hands with the BJP to install an in dependent president, sid el ining the Left Democratic Front despite its numerical strength.

- HD Bureau

The development unfolded through what the BJP described internally as 'Operation Lotus', a strategy aimed at consolidating anti-LDF votes in select local bodies. In Mattathur, eight Congress members who had won the election submitted their resignations from the party and extended support to an alternative front aligned with the BJP. Their move, combined with backing from rebel independents and BJP councillors, enabled independent member Tesi Jose Kallarakkal to secure the presidency.