Sharp dissent has emerged in the Congress party over the choice of chairperson for Thodupuzha municipality. The party had originally backed Nisha Soman for the position during the campaign. However, nine out of ten Congress councillors submitted a letter to the District Congress Committee and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee presidents, demanding Litty Joseph be made chairperson instead. This disagreement became public when posters appeared across Thodupuzha town. Attributed to 'Congress workers,' the posters claimed the municipality does not need a "rubber stamp" chairperson and criticized the proposed leadership change. A senior Congress leader said a UDF meeting on Wednesday evening would decide the matter. "The party is considering whether Ms Soman will serve as chairperson for this term or a subsequent one," the leader stated. In the recent local body election, UDF won 19 seats in the 34-member Thodupuzha municipality, LDF won 3 seats, and NDA secured 9. The political balance remains delicate. For context, in the 2020 election, LDF won 13 seats, UDF 12, BJP 8, and one Congress rebel was elected as an independent. LDF had chosen that Congress rebel, Saneesh George, as chairperson then. Meanwhile, UDF has finalized leadership in Kattappana municipality, where it won with 20 seats. Joy Vettikkuzhi will be chairperson and Leelamma Baby vice-chairperson. Vettikkuzhi will serve three years before another candidate completes the term.