THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress in Kerala is in poor health—politically and financially. The KPCC leaders are apprehensive of putting up a strong fight in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 as it is left with a bank balance of only Rs 3 crore, according to reports. The prospective party candidates, including first-timers, have demanded that the party should fund their campaigns which may cost them nearly Rs 7 crore each though the election commission has fixed a limit of Rs 75 lakh per candidate.
Several first-time Congress candidates are bankrupt or in poor health while the CPM and BJP are flush with funds. The aspirants feel that the KPCC leadership should raise the funds so that they can concentrate on the campaign. It is rumoured that the KPCC has only Rs 3 crore left in bank accounts. Though KPCC treasurer Johnson Abraham feigned ignorance about it, a party insider told DC that accounts from the DCC offices were yet to be received as the membership campaign was going on.
“We were supposed to receive Rs 3.5 crore from the membership campaign. But now we have only Rs 3 crore in our account and auditing is yet to start,” he said.
A KPCC general secretary told DC that the party’s television channel Jaihind and mouthpiece Veekshanam were running in losses and the KPCC has no idea how to save them.
“Jaihind which was launched in 2007 with a start-up capital of Rs 16 crore is running at a loss of Rs 30 crore. The fate of Veekshanam is no different. How can the KPCC gear up for the Lok Sabha elections with just Rs 3 crore in its kitty,” he asked. This has happened after UPA–I and II were in power for a decade at the centre and the UDF ruled the state for five years, he said. The young Congress leaders fear that the party may be pushed to the third place in the Lok Sabha elections without adequate funds.
