Political turmoil continues in Mattathur grama panchayat as suspended Congress members, including panchayat president Tessy Thomas, deny defecting to BJP. They accuse the CPI(M) of engineering a corruption cover-up by allegedly bribing Congress member K.P. Ouseph to influence the president election. The Congress leadership had announced suspensions, claiming members had switched parties. Rebel members state their stand was a conscious political decision, not a defection.