Firebrand Congress leader K. Sudhakaran has been elected as the president of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Tuesday. An official announcement is being awaited. According to media reports, the decision has been taken after AICC General Secretary Tariq Anwar held discussion with party leaders from Kerala.
Sudhakaran replaces Mullapally Ramachandran who was forced to put in his papers after the election debacle.
Reportedly, the likes of Oommen Chandy, Ramesh Chennithala and Mullappally Ramachandran had not suggested any name to the post of KPCC president. The post of new KPCC president comes at a time of intense factionalism within the party and it received a major drubbing as the LDF government won a historic second term in Kerala in the recently concluded assembly elections.
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Sudhakaran, 73, is a four-time legislator and is presently in his second term as Lok Sabha member from Kannur. An arch rival of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Sudhakaran is known for fighting the CPM in its fortress of Kannur.
Sudhakaran emerged as the frontrunner for the top post as the clamour for a leadership change became louder within and outside the party circles following the rout in the assembly polls. The AICC expects that Sudhakaran can energise the party machinery at a time when the cadre's confidence is at its lowest.
The appointment also signals the high command's move to rein in the factions led by Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala. Earlier, the high command appointed the vibrant V.D. Satheesan the leader of the opposition despite the senior leaders' move against the plan.
(With inputs from Onmanorama)
