Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V.M. Sudheeran, who hit the road to New Delhi for the first time after the severe drubbing the party and the United Democratic Front suffered in the Assembly elections, met AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi to lobby for a total revamp of the party apparatus in Kerala.
Armed with the deliberations of the two-day KPCC post-election evaluation camp, Mr. Sudheeran, during his one-hour long discussions with Mr. Gandhi, pitched for organisational changes covering the entire party, from the lowest functionary to KPCC office-bearers. But the spread and span of the reconstitution will be decided in Kerala by the State leadership, sources close to him said. Mr. Sudheeran told mediapersons in New Delhi that the revamp would focus on infusing efficiency in lower-level committees. He indicated that he had got the green signal to proceed in this direction.
Mr. Sudheeran is understood to have informed Mr. Gandhi that the UDF’s massive defeat was on account of the controversial decisions that the government took towards the fag end of its term.
It also stumbled in the face of heated debates in public domain about women safety, he is reported to have informed Mr. Gandhi.
Mr. Sudheeran is understood to have emphasised the fact that the pulse of the party worker was for a change. Mr. Sudheeran also paid a courtesy call on CWC member A.K. Antony.
Differing viewsHowever, sources close to the two factions led by Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala said that they did not share Mr. Sudheeran’s views about the party’s defeat. Senior leaders belonging to the Chandy faction had blamed Mr. Sudheeran for the defeat, singling out his stand on liquor policy and regarding giving the ticket to a few of Mr. Chandy’s supporters.
Some of the constituencies were lost only because of the position that the KPCC president, took writing the candidates’ fate even before election campaign started.
One of the major unnoticed outcomes of Mr. Sudheeran’s visit to Delhi is that the status quo ante in relation to the leadership issue will be retained for the time being. The troika of Mr. Chandy, Mr. Chennithala and Mr. Sudheeran will continue to guide the party, with the centre of gravity of their power equations suggesting a tilt towards Mr. Chennithala, who has since taken over as Leader of the Opposition.
Mr. Chandy has taken a backseat for the time being, but soon the party is likely to witness a three-way power struggle for supremacy.
The first hint became evident with the leaders of the two factions laying out plans to lobby the High Command for Mr. Sudheeran’s removal.
