THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Lack of organisational activity and coordination at the Thiruvananthapuram DCC has left Congress workers frustrated.
Several party workers and office-bearers feel that better coordination and regular meetings could have helped the party avoid setbacks, including the defeat in two wards in the Chirayinkeezhu constituency in the recent local body by-election.
“We need a strong mechanism within the party to inform grassroots-level workers about the projects and initiatives of the state government. Unfortunately, we don’t have that right now.
The DCC has failed to hold proper meetings or coordination, and it has affected the party’s activities. The UDF is in power in the state, and the party needs to be more active and aggressive in the state capital. It is important for the survival and growth of the Congress in Thiruvananthapuram,” said a KPCC member from Thiruvananthapuram.
The criticism comes in the wake of DCC president N Saktan being elected as the MLA from Neyyattinkara constituency in April this year. Party insiders said the DCC has been functioning without adequate allocation of responsibilities.
“Nobody is against the DCC president. He is now an MLA and has a lot of responsibilities. He also has health issues. In such a scenario, we need to find an alternative arrangement, entrust DCC office-bearers with tasks or divide the responsibilities among the district leaders after convening a meeting. However, it has not happened yet,” said a DCC office-bearer. Former speaker of the legislative assembly, Saktan, was given the charge of the DCC in July 2025, after Palode Ravi resigned from the post.
“The district and state leadership have to be vigilant and prevent any such incidents. The internal dispute between the local leaders and the MLA affected the goodwill of the party. As the elections were nearing, the party workers found it difficult to defend the party and convey our messages to workers and voters. The lack of coordination was evident in the case,” said a party worker.
Party workers said organisational restructuring is the only solution and called for the appointment of new office-bearers for both the KPCC and DCC.
“We have several deserving and eligible leaders in the district. Discussions on the appointment of the DCC president will begin only after the new KPCC chief is appointed. The DCC has to bring in an alternative arrangement until then,” added the DCC member.