THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: M M Hassan was given the ad hoc charge of the KPCC president by the Congress high command on Saturday. A senior vice-president among five in the KPCC and an ‘A’ group protege, the mantle has fallen upon Hassan on the insistence of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and his faction, if the party decision is to go in for an ad hoc mechanism to lead the party.
After the surprise exit of V M Sudheeran from the KPCC president’s post two weeks ago, the headless party was subject to a lot of political debates, especially against the backdrop of the Malappuram Lok Sabha bypoll.
The appointment was delayed since Congress president Sonia Gandhi was abroad for treatment. After her arrival the other day, the announcement of the president was keenly awaited.
Notwithstanding various facets of the choice, Hassan’s appointment is notable as it signals that the high command is finally willing to hear Oommen Chandy, with whom the comfort quotient for the central leadership was far less or even missing for a long time since his days while he was leading the former UDF Government. AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, who is in charge of party affairs in the state, had given a report to the high command, considering his wide grassroots connect and USPs.
Outgoing president V M Sudheeran will hand over the charge of KPCC president to Hassan at 11 am on Sunday.