THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress state unit revamp is inching closer now, with KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran set to meet AICC president Rahul Gandhi soon to finalise the new committee.“Yes, there will be a revamp. I will meet Rahul Gandhi immediately after December 11 and we will finalise a list after that,” Mullappally told Express.
In the recently held Political Affairs Committee meet, senior Congress leaders had pressed for the party’s revamp cutting across group affiliations. V D Satheesan MLA had sought replacing all present general secretaries and vice presidents with former DCC presidents who performed well and KPCC secretaries. He had said a few senior leaders not in any official position at present should be accommodated in key positions, while some young leaders should be made KPCC secretaries.
K C Joseph, the deputy leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party and a close associate of AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy, had also called for a revamp and said the present system, which saw DCC in-charges helming the party machinery, was ineffective and spoiling the party at the grassroots.
Surprisingly, Joseph’s call was supported by K Sudhakaran, his arch-rival in Congress group politics of Kannur, who said Congress could not move forward with its present committee. He had said fresh faces who could work at the grassroots had to be in the leadership.
Chandy faction to get maximum office-bearers?
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy have also favoured the revamp as the “party machinery is not functioning” and “the coordination at the grassroots will be affected without a revamp.”
Following the Sabarimala issue, the mood within the party is upbeat and Congress leadership knows without proper coordination, this cannot be converted into the party’s favour in the electoral hustings.
A senior Congress leader told Express, “The revamp will take place immediately and Oommen Chandy’s ‘A’ faction will get the maximum number of office bearers. For the group is powerful body at the grassroots at present,” he said.“The Chennithala-led ‘I group will also get a good chunk, while the KPCC president will have a major say in the inclusion of new office-bearers,” he said.