Youth Congress halts membership drive ahead of Puthuppally bypoll
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In light of the upcoming Puthuppally by-election and the ensuing demands from party cadres, the national leadership of the Youth Congress (YC) has taken the decision to temporarily suspend the membership campaign and election process in the state, effective from August 15 until the polling date of September 5. The revised commencement date for the membership campaign and election is now set for September 6. This decision was conveyed to the state Youth Congress leadership by the national leadership on Sunday.
The initial stance of the national leadership, which intended to continue with the election process while pausing it only in the Kottayam district, sparked widespread protests among Youth Congress cadres and leaders. The fact that the national leadership disregarded the unanimous appeal from the state Youth Congress committee to halt the election also drew dissatisfaction from the state Congress leadership. Despite the intervention of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, the decision remained unchanged. TNIE had previously reported on these developments within the YC.
The decision was subsequently revised following intervention from AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal, who reportedly brought the matter to the attention of Rahul Gandhi during his visit to Wayanad. It was highlighted that many YC leaders assigned to various responsibilities in Puthuppally were unable to fulfil their duties effectively due to their simultaneous involvement in the organisational election and membership campaign.