Kerala: Congress MPs discourage party polls

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state Congress leadership is keen to avoid organisational elections now in view of the possibility of  Prime Minister Narendra Modi going for general elections next year.   Congress MPs from Kerala have decided to raise the issue before the AICC leadership.  AICC general secretary K. C. Venugopal, MP, will discuss it with party vice-president Rahul Gandhi. They fear that party polls  will divide the lower-level leaders dampening the party’s prospects in the next Lok Sabha elections.

Senior leader K. V. Thomas MP favours a consensus on the issue.  He has the backing of Mr M. I. Shahnavas, Wayanad MP. The Congress hopes to bounce back in the state as well as at the national level to check the BJP.   Mr Thomas and Mr Shahnavas have started unofficial  talks with Congress leaders in  the state. A prominent Congress leader told DC that when party polls were held in 1991-92 during the tenure of  former chief minister K. Karunakaran, it took  over two years to heal the wounds.

“Karunakaran conducted organisational elections and Vayalar Ravi became the PCC president. Those  who were defeated included Thalekunnil Basheer, Benny Behanan and other   ‘A’ faction leaders. But now the party’s position is weak in the state,”  he said. Former chief minister Oommen Chandy had  favoured organisational elections after former KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran quit the post.    Mr Rahul Gandhi had promised Mr Chandy to conduct the polls. But with the MPs opposing elections,  Mr Chandy  does not want  history to repeat itself.