Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala on Monday set the record by becoming the first KPCC president to be in office for eight consecutive years spread over two terms.
Only A.K. Antony has spent more time as PCC president, but not for consecutive terms. Mr. Antony had been PCC president for 10 years, but spread over two different periods.
Mr. Chennithala’s supporters did not forget to mark the occasion, now that factionalism has come to stay in the party.
The KPCC leadership meeting, to be attended by All India Congress Committee general secretary Mukul Wasnik, is sure to felicitate Mr. Chennithala for crossing this milestone.
The meeting, to be attended by the office-bearers of the KPCC, Congress legislature party and District Congress Committee presidents, was actually convened to give a reception to Mr. Wasnik who has been given charge of the party in Kerala.
But it is likely to end up as an exercise that would throw its entire weight behind Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who is going through one of the most difficult phases in his career by facing a barrage of charges raised by the Opposition.
