Eight former Congress councillors joined four BJP members to elect independent Tessy Jose Kallarakkal as president, ending LDF’s 23-year rule in Kerala’s Mattathur.

In Kerala’s Mattathur grama panchayat, eight former Congress councillors resigned and joined forces with four BJP members to elect independent candidate Tessy Jose Kallarakkal as president, ending the Left Democratic Front’s 23-year hold. Kallarakkal won with 12 votes—eight from the defectors and three from BJP members—defeating an LDF-backed candidate. The shift, driven by allegations of party injustice, triggered political turmoil, including suspensions within Congress and accusations of an "unholy alliance" from the CPI(M), though Congress has not issued an official stance on the BJP collaboration.