VM Sudheeran reined in, KPCC revamp on hold

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran has yielded to the demand of  the 'A' and 'I' factions  to put off the party revamp till the  local bodies’ elections are over.  Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala have termed the proposal of Mr Sudheeran for an immediate reorganisation   as impractical.

The  UDF meeting on Tuesday will decide on seat-sharing among the allies for the local elections.

After Mr Chennithala and  Cooperation Minister C.N. Balakrishnan had called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi over  a week ago, the feud within the party had come out in the open.

Mr Sudheeran met Mrs. Gandhi, AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi and senior Congress leader A. K. Antony during the last two days in Delhi and told them of the  political situation in the state.  AICC general secretary in charge of the state, Mukul Wasnik, will give  a report to the AICC leadership.

“The dispute in the state will be solved here itself,” said an AICC leader. An ‘A’ group MLA said  that Mr Sudheeran’s plan for the party revamp had boomeranged. He said there was no point in changing the lower leaders as per the new norms formed  by the KPCC.

“If we follow the norms,  leaders who were holding the posts for more than a decade would have to be removed. This would create unrest among the party members when the local body elections are  round the corner.  The revamp would take place after the elections,”  said the  MLA.