Thiruvananthapuram: AICC’s central election authority commission chairman Mullappally Ramachandran has summoned Kerala leaders to New Delhi as he is unhappy with the delayed list of the 282-member KPCC governing council.
He decided to hear complaints of all leaders who had expressed their dissent against the two factions that had sent a list as per a consensus between them. He asked them to come to the national capital on Thursday, But with the KPCC top brass are busy campaigning in Vengara and the UDF leaders on a day-night protest against the anti-people policies of the state and Union governments on Thursday, they postponed their Delhi trip.
But in all likelihood, they will meet him on Friday. But chances of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy leaving for New Delhi is unlikely as he has asserted that his priority now is in the campaigning for the by-poll.
A senior Congress leader told DC that ever since Mr Chandy was not taken into confidence on the appointment of DCC presidents last year, he was keeping a distance from the AICC leadership. “Mr Chandy’s style has always been that he is above them and as and when he is free, he will turn up in New Delhi. On Thursday, MPs K. V. Thomas and Kodikunnil Suresh will be expressing their displeasure on the consensual list.” said a leader.
Alappuzha MP K. C. Venugopal had directly expressed his displeasure to AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi against Chandy and Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala’s factions resorting to seat sharing. On Thursday, Mr Ramachandran will be asking them about their grievances against the KPCC list. It is reliably learnt that he will confide to Congress Working Committee member A. K. Antony before finalising the list. Mr Antony is of the view that the new KPCC president should be able to steer the party towards the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and draw community organisations towards the UDF. “Mr Antony will not agree to Mr Chandy’s secret agenda to hold organisational elections in State exclusively for the post of KPCC president,” said an AICC member.
