Kochi, 24 December(HS): The Latin Catholic Church had the last laugh in the election of mayor to the Kochi Corporation Council. Despite the Congress-led UDF bagging 46 seats in the 76-member council, the diktat of the Church turned out to be crucial in the election of the mayoral candidate.

V. K. Minimol, a Congress member who hails from the Latin Catholic community, would be the mayor for the first 30 months, while Shiny Mathew, who also hails from the Latin Catholic community, would serve as mayor for the remaining 30 months.

The Congress on its own won 42 seats, but the writ of the Church won the day as Minimol and Shiny emerged as the party’s mayoral candidates.

The two LC ladies shattered the mayoral dreams of Deepthi Mary Varghese, the front-runner for the top post despite her being the general secretary of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee.

A dejected Deepthi has written to the Congress High Command stating how she was cheated by the district Congress committee.

The selection of mayoral candidates shows that it is the Latin Christian Church which wields the real power in the Congress.

Haiby Eden MP and a dozen MLAs from Ernakulam belong to the Latin Catholic community, although Hindus constitute 48 per cent of the population in the district.

Hindusthan Samachar / Manohar Yadavatti