THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With former chief minister Oommen Chandy declining to become the opposition leader, Ramesh Chennithala is all set to be elected to the post. The Congress Legislature Party meeting will elect Chennithala as its leader at the meeting scheduled to be held on Sunday in the presence of the representatives from the High Command. K C Joseph will be deputy leader of CLP.
Chandy will retain the post of UDF chairman. Chandy, Chennithala and KPCC president V M Sudheeran reached a consensus on these posts at a meeting held at the Indira Bhavan on Friday. Soon after Congress-led UDF's massive defeat in Assembly elections,
Chandy had informed the high command that he was not in the fray for Opposition leader's post. One of the reasons for him to decline the post was the less number of MLAs belonging to his ‘A’ group compared to Chennithala led ‘I’ group. Of the 22 MLAs of Congress, 12 belong to the ‘I’ and 8 to the ‘A’. Two are unattached.
60-year-old Chennithala who will become the Opposition leader for the first time, began his political life from early school days. In 1982 he became the national president of NSUI and the same year got elected as MLA from Haripad constituency.
In 1985 he became general secretary of Indian Youth Congress. Chennithala was hand-picked by the then chief minister late K Karunakaran to become the youngest minister of his Cabinet in 1986 at the age of 29. In 1989 he was elected as MP from Kottayam Parliamentary constituency and soon became the national president of Youth Congress.
Chennithala was re-elected as MP in 1991,1996 and 1999 . He took over as KPCC president soon after the Karunakran faction split the Congress to form a separate party the Democratic Indira Congress. Earlier, the high command had left the decision on the opposition leader to the state leadership which arrived at a consensus on Chennithala in consultation with CWC member A K Antony.
The Congress leadership also held parleys with the UDF allies Muslim League and Kerala Congress ahead of taking the decision. Chandy will continue as UDF chairman. As per UDF set up, usually the chief minister or opposition leader holds the front chairman.
However, with Chandy refusing to be the Opposition leader, the Congress had to change the precedent. Many fear with Chandy as UDF chairman and Chennithala as opposition leader, two power centres might emerge in the Congress.
