THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Jyoti Kumar Chamakkala is emerging the favourite for the post of KPCC treasurer as the final round of discussions on state Congress reorganisation is progressing in Delhi. If state president Sunny Joseph does not have any one else in mind, Jyoti Kumar is sure to occupy the office, that fell vacant in December 2022. It is the prerogative of the state chief to choose the leader for the key post.
Jyoti Kumar was in charge of campaign expenses in Puthuppally, Palakkad and Nilambur and was appreciated for his handling of the job. An ‘I’ group leader, he has the support of Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan as well as senior leader Ramesh Chennithala.
Sunny has been meeting MPs, including Shashi Tharoor, in Delhi. After assuming charge, he has taken an inclusive approach, incorporating all warring factions in the party.The final decision on reorganisation will come only after consulting AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala Deepa Dasmunsi and secretaries V K Arivazhakan, P V Mohanan and Mansoor Ali Khan. According to sources, the number of Political Affairs Committee (PAC) members is likely to be increased from the current 36 to accommodate MPs who were not considered last time. Rajmohan Unnithan, V K Sreekandan and Dean Kuriakose did not find a berth then. “The strength of PAC might be increased by four or five,” a senior Congress leader told TNIE.
However, finalising the list of DCC presidents is the major challenge before the leadership. A section of leaders has suggested replacing all DCC presidents except in Thrissur where the appointment was made recently. However, there is a strong sentiment that only under-performers should be changed. Some senior leaders have asked the KPCC president not to replace DCC presidents at a time when the local body election is nearing.
The Wayanad, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Idukki DCCs have been facing criticism for their poor performance. Though KPCC vice-president N Sakthan has been given charge of Thiruvananthapuram DCC, there is a chance for former MLA K Sabarinathan. Sabari is close to K C Venugopal and maintains good relations with Chennithala. The leadership will also seek the opinion of K Muralidharan, who is in charge of the corporation election.
In Kollam, Sooraj Ravi, son of former leader Thoppil Ravi, is being considered. He has the support of senior leader V M Sudheeran. In Pathanamthitta, incumbent Satheesh Kochuparambil is not in the list of favourite list of UDF convener Adoor Prakash who is pitching for Robin Peter.
The number of KPCC general secretaries is likely to go up from 22 to around 40. The number of vice-presidents will be increased to 10 from four, and secretaries from 76 to 100, sources said.