Thiruvananthapuram: The AICC has constituted the much-awaited 21- member high-power Political Affairs Committee of the KPCC to revamp the party structure. This was announced by the AICC’s organising general secretary Janardan Dwivedi in New Delhi on Wednesday evening. The one-line statement said Congress president Sonia Gandhi had approved the list. KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran will chair the meeting of the committee. The members include Ramesh Chennithala, Oommen Chandy, K. Muraleedharan, P. C. Chacko, P. J. Kurien, K. C. Joseph, Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan, K. V. Thomas, M. I. Shahnavas, K. Sudhakaran, K. C. Venugopal, Kodikunnil Suresh, V. D. Satheeshan, Benny Behanan, Shanimol Usman, T. N. Prathapan, P. C. Vishnunath and M. Liju. The only woman to find a place in the list is Shanimol Usman who is senior to Mahila Congress state president Bindu Krishna.
Leaders like Chacko, Mullapally, Thomas and Kurian have been included directly by the AICC leadership. The ‘A’ group has more representation with Chandy, Thiruvanchoor, Hassan, Joseph, Kodikunnil, Behanan, Prathapan and Vishnunath in the list.
Prathapan has been showing allegiance to Sudheeran for the last few years. The prominent ‘I’ group members are Muraleedharan, Chacko, Mullapally, Thomas, Satheeshan, Sudhakaran, Shanimol and Liju. But the majority of them no longer support Chennithala and the group has more or less disintegrated.
The names of Muraleedharan and Satheeshan were not submitted by Chennithala when he held talks with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi last week. While the ‘A’ group led by Chandy was united after the Assembly elections, the ‘I’ group led by Chennithala has been subdued after he became the Opposition Leader. It is to be seen how many in the panel would stand firm against group activities and how many youth leaders and women will get preference in the party revamp.
