THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the deadline for filing nominations for the Youth Congress state president election drew to a close on Thursday, the final scenario has become clear. The main competition is anticipated to be between Rahul Mamkoottathil, representing the ‘A’ group, and Abin Varkey, nominated by the ‘I’ group.
The contest is anticipated to be closely contested. Notably, there is no consensus candidate supported by the Congress state leadership, as both party chief K Sudhakaran and Opposition Leader V D Satheesan have chosen not to endorse any specific candidate.
In addition, Binu Chulliyil, the YC state general secretary and a loyalist of K C Venugopal, has withdrawn from the race.
By the 5 pm deadline on Thursday, a total of seven youth leaders were present in the fray. While Rahul represents the ‘A’ group, the newly formed ‘Oommen Chandy Cadres’ have fielded four youth leaders from the same group as his opponents.
They are Vishnu Sunil Pandalam (YC state secretary), V P Dulkhifil (general secretary and Kozhikode district panchayat member), Abid Ali (general secretary), and S T Aneesh (secretary). In response to this move, the incumbent YC state president, Shafi Parambil, from the ‘I’ group, has nominated O J Janeesh, YC Thrissur district president.
“It is speculated that the ‘I’ group holds a majority in Thrissur district. By nominating Janeesh, Shafi intends to split the ‘I’ group votes, which otherwise would have gone completely in favour of Abin.
Additionally, reliable sources have indicated that prominent leaders such as Venugopal, Sudhakaran, and Ramesh Chennithala have thrown their support behind YC state general secretary Abin Varkey.
Satheesan is also reported to be backing Abin, although there have been rumours suggesting his support for Rahul,” revealed a senior Congress leader to TNIE.
Both Rahul and Abin sought the support of Sudhakaran and Satheesan before filing their nomination papers on Thursday. According to sources, the party-state leadership has expressed their encouragement for the candidates to participate in the election.
The three candidates who secure the highest number of votes will then have the opportunity to face an interview panel comprising the national YC leadership, followed by a meeting with Rahul Gandhi himself.