KOCHI: While the Youth Congress state unit has initiated its organisational election process, there are growing concerns within the organisation regarding the proposed criteria for selecting the state president. Sources reveal that a group of leaders has approached the national leadership to voice their opposition to the selection process. They argue that nominations should only be accepted after the state conference of the organisation, which is scheduled to take place on May 26 in Thrissur.
According to the guidelines set by the national leadership, state committee positions will be allocated based on the number of members enrolled by the aspirants. The top three aspirants with the highest number of enrollments in the state will be eligible for inclusion in the panel for the state president. These three presidential candidates will be invited for an interview in New Delhi, following which one will be elected as the president and the other two will be appointed as vice presidents. Apart from enrollment numbers, the candidates’ ideology and previous work within the party will also be taken into consideration.
The nomination process that began on May 15 will conclude on May 30. Interestingly, the nominations will take place before the membership drive, which is scheduled to commence on June 12. All aspiring candidates must file nominations to be eligible for consideration. The state committee will consist of 54 positions, while each Assembly, Mandalam, and district committee will have 40 seats available for the election. The membership enrollment and the election process will span two months.
MLA Shafi Parambil, whose term as president is ending, will step down after the state conference, adding further anticipation to the race for the new president. J S Akhil, the national coordinator of the Indian Youth Congress, Rahul Mamkoottathil, and K M Abhijith, former KSU president, are the top contenders from the ‘A’ group, while Binu Chulliyil and Manju Kuttan represent the ‘I’ group.
YC leader Venkatesh Vegi, who has been designated as the election commissioner for the Youth Congress elections in Kerala, stated that discussions are ongoing and a decision will be made later.” There is no change in the schedule so far. However, discussions are on as several leaders have requested it and a decision will be taken if required,” he said.
However, he clarified that they have not received any complaints regarding the selection criteria. It is worth noting that this is the first time Youth Congress elections are being conducted online in Kerala. Sabarinathan K S, the vice president of the current YC committee, stated that the new election schedule will be announced after the state conference. He mentioned, “We anticipate that the election process will begin in the first week of June.”