Kerala Polls: Anna Kitex group's Twenty 20 all set to make its mark

The Twenty 20 organisation is all set to contest in the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections. The group has declared candidates in five constituencies in the Ernakulam district. More candidates may be declared in other constituencies.

Thiruvananthapuram: Transforming Kizhakkambalam Panchayath in Ernakulam district of Kerala into the best Gram Panchayath in the country by the year 2020 - this was the aim of Sabu M Jacob, the manager of Kitex garments, part of Anna Kitex group when he formed a Corporate Panchayath organisation for the first time in India.

As many as 12,500 employees work with the Anna Kitex Group. Most of these staff are living in and around Kizhakkambalam Panchayath.

The concept of a corporate-run panchayat had piqued curiosity initially. Now, it has become a novelty.

The Twenty 20 organisation is all set to contest in the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections. The group has declared candidates in five constituencies in the Ernakulam district. More candidates may be declared in other constituencies, it is being hinted.

In the 2015 local body elections, Twenty 20 came to power in the Kizhakkambalam panchayat and displayed their strength, initially.

In the last civic body elections in 2020 December, Twenty 20 gained more strength and became a decisive power in the Aikkaranadu, Kunnathunadu and Mazhuvannur panchayats.

The 17 seats gained by the Twenty 20 in 2015 raised to 19 in 2020. Besides, the party also performed well in Vengola Panchayath.

As actor Sreenivasan, film director Siddique and V Guard Group chairman Kochouseph Chittilappally declared their support for Twenty 20 and announced that they would work with the Twenty 20, Sabu Jacob, a leader fo the party, claims to have more support.

Anna Kitex group is one of the best companies under Forbes Asia’s companies under one billion dollars.

Twenty 20, controlled by Kitex garments, a subsidiary of Anna Kitex Group, has roped in doctors, retired professors, fitness expert, legal expert and such candidates who have public acceptance to contest in the Assembly election.

At Thrikkakkara Constituency, Terry Thomas Edathotty, a dentist with the Lissy Hospital in Ernakulam, has been fielded.

Former Examination Board chairman with the Mahatma Gandhi University and Saint Alberts College former Principal Leslie Pallath is to contest from Ernakulam constituency.

Shiny, a graduate in International Sports and Sciences from Mumbai University has been fielded in Kochi constituency, while in Kunnahtunadu, Sujith P Surendran, a Post Graduate from the National Law School of India is to seek the people’s mandate for the party.

Chithra Sukumaran, a dancer and managing director of S&C Multicommercium, is the Twenty 20 candidate at the Perumbavoor constituency.

Doctor and Associate professor Jose Joseph at Kothamangalam, CM Prakash, a journalist, who is a graduate in law and journalism at Moovattupuzha, and former Associate Professor with Kalamassery Saint Pauls College Job Chakkalakkal in Vyppin would all contest for Twenty 20.

Mainstream political parties had come up against Twenty 20, an apolitical organisation operated by a Corporate institution, right from the beginning. In 2020 local body polls, the party workers of a prominent party manhandling a couple who had allegedly reached the booth to vote for Twenty 20, had become a controversy.

Twenty 20 serves the people of Kizhakkambalam by providing drinking water, vegetables and grocery for half the market rate.

The group has also promised to make Kizhakkambalam a liquor-less village. The only liquor shop functioning here in this area has been closed down.

Twenty 20 promises that a Multi Speciality Hospital would be built at Kizhakkambalam to provide health care at affordable rates.

Amidst all these efforts to woo voters, there have been serious allegations raised against Twenty 20.

Former Kizhakkambalam Panchayath president K V Jacob who was a Twenty 20 leader had declared his resignation alleging that he is not let to work on his free will.

K V Jacob had come up with very serious allegations against Twenty 20 Chief Coordinator Sabu Jacob.

Jacob alleged that 70 per cent of the Panchayath funds were spent for Sabu Jacob’s business enterprises.

Including road construction, all development activities in the Panchayath are done only according to the personal interests of Jacob.

The Panchayath members have been ‘bought’ by paying them money as a monthly salary, KV Jacob said.

The changes, that a Corporate run organisation could make in the democracy of Kerala even amid serious allegations, are yet to be seen. The group is all set to contest the assembly polls in the State.