The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) is scouting for a fresh face for the District Congress Committee (DCC) president’s post to replace incumbent K.C. Abu, whose removal has become almost certain.
Several names are doing the rounds in the party circles including KPCC general secretaries P.M. Suresh Babu and N. Subramanian, KPCC secretary K. Praveen Kumar, and former State president of Youth Congress T. Siddique. All of them are known loyalists of party groups and they also have the backing of any of the triumvirate, namely KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran, Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
The removal of Mr. Abu, who has been holding the post for nearly 10 years, is in accordance with the general consensus that all the DCC presidents in the State would be replaced as suggested by the Congress high command. Besides, a three-member Congress committee, which had looked into the reasons for the Congress-led United Democratic Front’s debacle in the Assembly polls, had suggested a thorough revamp of the DCC, party sources said.
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A senior functionary felt that finding a credible candidate for the post in Kozhikode was easier said than done unlike other districts in the State. Previously the post had been handed to any local leader with group allegiance on a silver platter. Thus, the post was occupied by P. Sankaran and M. Veerankutty, both belonging to the ‘I’ faction of the party. Thereafter it was offered to the ‘A’ group following swapping of the posts in Kozhikode with Ernakulam.
Many other leaders have already thrown their hat in the ring. But even if the KPCC leadership decided on a candidate it would have to be ratified by the AICC. The Congress was in serious trouble in Kozhikode district with no party legislator for the last three terms, the sources said.
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