KOCHI: The move by a section within the Congress in the state to use social media against party senior leader Mullapally Ramachandran, one of the top contenders for the KPCC president’s post, has not gone down well with the Congress high command.
A section of the Congress workers also put up posters outside Indira Bhavan, the KPCC head office in Thiruvananthapuram, irking the party leadership, sources said. Also, a section owing allegiance to senior leader K Sudhakaran launched an online poll for the next KPCC president on the Facebook page of AICC president Rahul Gandhi, pitting Mullapally against the Kannur strong man.
“Mullapally was not even in the picture when the controversy over the Rajya Sabha seat erupted in the Congress. All of a sudden, posters appeared outside the KPCC head office in Thiruvananthapuram against Mullapally,” said a Congress member, adding this is not viewed lightly by the party leadership.KSU former Kannur president Sudeep James launched the online poll pitting Mullapally and the Kannur strongman against each other on the Facebook page of Rahul Gandhi.
“Using social media to garner support for one leader or the other at a time when the Congress high command is the final stages of selecting the new KPCC president is not right and uncalled for. The Congress leadership has taken a serious view of such polls,” said a Congress leader. When contacted, Sudeep said he was a strong supporter of Sudhakaran and he put up the names of Mullapally and Sudhakaran for the online poll as the Facebook page has the option only for two names. Sudeep said the link developed a snag and it could not be accessed.“When last counted, Sudhakaran got 91 per cent of votes while Mullapally received only nine per cent.”