THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After the Lok Sabha election, the ‘A’ group which has been at loggerheads with the Congress state leadership has cosied up to it indicating a change in power equations within the party. If earlier, Congress state president K Sudhakaran and Opposition Leader V D Satheesan worked as a team, party insiders reveal that fissures have developed in their rapport.
The ‘A’ group which was once led by former CM Oommen Chandy did not share excellent camaraderie with the current leadership. A day after the Lok Sabha poll, rumours were rife that Satheesan is eager to see Congress state president in-charge M M Hassan, who belongs to the ‘A’ group, continuing in office.
This move has antagonised the Sudhakaran camp which led him to advance his duties as party chief from last Monday onward. But he later postponed his trip to Thiruvananthapuram after reports emerged that Hassan, who led the Lok Sabha campaign of the Congress, will chair the meeting on reporting of poll prospects at Indira Bhavan on Saturday.
A leader close to Sudhakaran told TNIE that since the tenure of Satheesan has reached the second half, he has been trying to garner maximum support from the ‘A’ group so as to have a tie-up with it. “Satheesan’s diplomatic move is to garner the support of as many legislators as possible keeping in mind the 2026 assembly elections. Apart from senior ‘A’ group leaders, youth leaders like Palakkad MLA Shafi Parambil and Rahul Mamkootathil have the backing of Satheesan. Circulation of fake reports that Sudhakaran is likely to be defeated in Kannur has led him to return to the seat of party chief at the earliest before the poll outcome is known,” said a leader close to Sudhakaran.
Satheesan camp has vehemently denied the allegations that he had tried to derail Sudhakaran’s return to the KPCC president post.
The Leader of Opposition is currently on voice rest and his office informed that there is a standing directive from AICC that Hassan will hold charges until the Lok Sabha poll is over.
K C Venugopal, All India general secretary (organisation), in a letter dated March 21 had conveyed to Deepa Das Munshi, AICC general secretary in charge of the state, that Hassan is being given charge of state party chief “until the conclusion of Parliament elections, given the current PCC president’s involvement in the ongoing elections.”