Rise and Fall of Rahul Mamkootathil: Kerala Congress Leader's Meteoric Rise Comes to an Abrupt, Disgraceful End

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Rahul Mamkootathil, who quickly emerged as the young and dynamic face of the Congress party, saw his rise matched by an equally swift fall. His short yet notable political journey was filled with both highs and lows.

After consecutive defeats in the 2016 and 2021 assembly elections, Congress had been out of power for nearly a decade a situation not seen since the 1970s. Naturally, the morale of the cadre was low, and the national decline from 2014 to 2019 further demoralised party workers.

It was at this point that a young leader like Rahul took the party’s fight online, inspiring confidence among younger members. In no time, his sharp posts and reels on social media earned him the image of a superstar.

Rahul, under the tutelage of "giant killer" Vadakara MP Shafi Parambil, became a role model for the new generation in the party. Rahul and Shafi were seen as leaders who thought beyond Khadi and preferred colourful and casual attire.

The duo set television studios on fire through their energetic debates and put their opponents in their place in prime-time debates. Riding the wave of popularity, Rahul became the Youth Congress president.

Soon he was chosen to contest from the Palakkad assembly seat, which fell vacant following his mentor Shafi Parambil's stupendous victory in Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency.

Rahul won the by-election by a decisive margin of 18,840 votes despite an all-out effort by the ruling LDF led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Cabinet colleagues to wrest the constituency from Congress.

From Palakkad, there was no looking back for the 36-year-old leader who spearheaded numerous protests and agitations against the government. In one instance, his entire house was surrounded by police before he was dramatically taken into custody. These events bolstered his image as an angry young leader boldly challenging an `oppressive' government. His leadership energised Youth Congress cadres across the state.

But behind the heroism and bravado was another side of Rahul, caught in allegations of sexual misconduct. Initially, Congress leaders tried to sweep the allegations under the rug, even backing Rahul by calling the charges politically motivated.

He was eventually forced to resign as Youth Congress president in August 2025, after a young woman accused him of harassing her for over three years. Despite her complaint to the Congress leadership, the party chose to ignore it.

Soon, audio clips of conversations, threats, and screenshots of objectionable WhatsApp messages began circulating on social media, forcing the party to suspend him. Until then, Rahul maintained a “who cares” attitude, insisting there was no formal complaint against him.

But his defence crumbled on November 27, when a woman lodged a sexual harassment complaint against Rahul with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, providing digital evidence, including a pen drive containing WhatsApp chats and audio conversations.

Soon after, police registered a rape case against the MLA. To make matters worse, another woman, an NRI, emailed to the KPCC president accusing Rahul of raping her under the pretext of discussing marriage plans. With back-to-back rape complaints and his bail application rejected, Rahul’s continuation in the Congress became untenable.

Just days before crucial local body elections, the party expelled him to avoid potential damage, especially among women voters. The Congress has now turned its focus on the CPM, challenging Marxist leaders to forward pending sexual harassment complaints against their own members to the police.

“I hope the CPM leaders will send the complaints gathering dust in party headquarters to the police and ensure justice for the victims,” said opposition leader V. D. Satheeshan. Several leaders in the CPM-led LDF, including a sitting MLA and minister, also face allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.