THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ending a 53-day wait, the Youth Congress national president has appointed O J Janeesh as the new chief of the state unit. Binu Chulliyi has been appointed as the working president.
Janeesh had been serving as the Youth Congress state vice-president while Binu is one of the national secretaries, both being close to Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal.
The other contenders, Abin Varkey who is the state vice-president and former KSU president K M Abhijith, have been appointed as national secretaries.
The appointments have come as a surprise and a blow to both ‘I’ and ‘A’ groups of the Congress as they reveal, for the first time, Venugopal’s tightening grip in the party’s affairs in the state. After the withering away of groups in Congress’ state leadership, certain young and senior leaders have showed an affinity towards Venugopal.
“The discord among the leaders have prompted young leaders to look for the high command’s intervention. It is hardly surprising that group equations are changing,” a senior Congress leader told TNIE.
Though both Janeesh and Binu are close to Venugopal, Janeesh had an advantage because of his closeness with Congress Working Committee member A P Anil Kumar. However, as Binu has already been appointed as a national secretary, he was brought to the state by forming a new post -- working president.
Though senior leader Ramesh Chennithala had publicly declared his support to Abin and asked the Congress high command to consider his nominee, the decision was against him.
“Abin received the third-highest number of votes, after Rahul and Haritha. He should have been given a chance,” an ‘I’ group leader said.
Though the ‘A’ group stood behind Abhijith, Janeesh’s closeness with Vadakara MP Shafi Parambil also proved helpful.
This is for the first time in one and a half decades that the ‘A’ group is losing the Youth Congress president’s post.
