KOTTAYAM: The rare CPM-Congress coalition in the Melukavu panchayat collapsed on Tuesday as CPM-backed Independent Sheeba Mol shifted to the Opposition. President Shantamma Vasu, of the CPM, and vice-prez Dominic Eapen, Independent, were defeated in the no-confidence motion moved by the six-member Kerala Congress Opposition.Sheeba Mol, who was reported missing by president Shantamma Vasu of the CPM surfaced at the time of moving the no-confidence motion, and supported the Opposition.Oppn leader Sunny Mathew said that Sheeba was not missing and that she had gone to T’Puram for personal needs. Reacting to the fall of the coalition, outgoing president Shantamma said the Opposition had engaged in foul play and had used huge amounts of money to lure the Independent to their side.The president said that Sheeba had been taking up the work in her ward, flouting the normal procedure of convening the ward committee.This had infuriated the local people, following which the ruling coalition had also expressed its displeasure over her style of functioning. This could have made Sheeba Mol switch sides, the outgoing president said.Oppn leader Sunny Mathew said the prez and the vice-prez had allegedly committed irregularities in the concreting of a road in the panchayat costing `1.73 lakh. This forced Sheeba Mol to switch sides. He also blamed the coalition for failing to perform, as it had used only 30 per cent of the funds for the period 2011-12.Shantamma said that Kerala Congress Oppn had been objecting to the quality of the work taken up in the panchayat. This led to the work getting stuck in the middle.
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