Congress’ Kerala mess: Chacko quits, Muraleedharan skulks, ballot talks head nowhere

Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If one thought the Congress would have a clean crusing within the run-up to the meeting elections for a change this time after the spectacular Aishwarya Kerala Yatra and powerful intervention by AICC, candidate choice plunged into disaster on Wednesday.

First, Ok Muraleedharan, MP, skulked for the second day from a breakfast assembly of Congress MPs with prime state leaders in New Delhi.

Then by afternoon, four-time Lok Sabha member P C Chacko introduced his resignation from the occasion, citing groupism within the state unit and inefficient AICC management. 

Despite these setbacks, the KPCC management expressed the hope that the talks, persevering with since Monday night, with the AICC’s candidate screening committee could possibly be accomplished by Thursday and move on the beneficial nominee listing to the central election committee headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi. 

The AICC management is learnt to have requested Ramesh Chennithala and Oommen Chandy whether or not they would take up the problem to contest from tough seats like Nemom, Vattiyoorkavu or  Kazhakoottam. 

I can wrest Vattiyoorkavu from LDF, says Murali

Following Chacko’s criticism towards rampant factionalism, the AICC management is just not prone to entertain the group leaders’ nominees at any value. Already, the chances are towards the candidature of Chandy nominee Ok C Joseph and Chennithala loyalist Joseph Vazhakkan.

Muraleedharan instructed TNIE that he by no means received an invite from the KPCC management to the assembly.

“One of their staff members informed my staff on Tuesday about the breakfast meeting. If they really wanted me to attend it, they would have called me directly. When AICC organising general secretary K C Venugopal bumped into me in Parliament, he invited me to meet them, including the screening committee chairman, at 5pm,” he stated.

It is learnt that Muraleedharan was invited by Venugopal on the behest of Rahul Gandhi. At the night assembly, Muraleedharan as soon as once more raised the shortage of discussions taking place amongst senior leaders, within the KPCC election committee in addition to within the 10-member Chandy-headed election administration and strategic committee assembly.  

Muraleedharan didn’t draw back from opening up his thoughts towards factionalism within the presence of group leaders Chandy and Chennithala,  and KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran and Venugopal. 

He denied TV channel experiences that he had evinced eager curiosity in contesting from Nemom meeting constituency.

He confided that if the AICC management actually desires him to return to state politics, he’ll struggle in Vattiyoorkavu.

“I can wrest the seat back. But convincing my voters of Vadakara is going to be a hard task. If a candidate like Mullappally contests from Vadakara, the voters will help the Congress yet again,” he added.