Pressure on Mullappally to give up, AICC sends feelers

Express News Service
KOCHI: The writing on the wall is obvious for KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran — to exit gracefully now or wait until the social gathering management asks him to step down. AICC sources instructed TNIE that they anticipated Mullappally, who led the social gathering to one among its worst defeats within the meeting polls, to submit his resignation instantly, as was accomplished by his Assam counterpart. 

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ripun Bora resigned from his submit on Sunday night itself although the Congress fared significantly better within the northeastern state.“Mullappally Ramachandran’s resignation is expected by the high command and it has informally communicated to him to step down. In two days, if there is no resignation, official routes will be explored. It is left to him to exit gracefully.  The Assam PCC president took the moral responsibility for the defeat and resigned. The same was expected of Mullappally,” mentioned a celebration supply. 

“We thought he would send his resignation immediately after the results came out. But that did not happen,” the supply mentioned.However, senior native leaders mentioned a closing choice on the longer term plan of action shall be taken solely on the KPCC’s political affairs committee assembly, scheduled for Friday. “It won’t do any good for the party if immediate decisions are made, without any discussions,” mentioned a senior chief.

But, not everybody holds the identical view. Veteran Congress chief Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan fired the primary salvo by proposing Ok Sudhakaran’s title as the following KPCC chief. Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden posted on his Facebook web page: “Why do we still need a sleeping president?” Following his submit, a number of Congress staff got here up with their feedback in opposition to Mullappally, demanding a change of guard.

A newly-elected MLA instructed TNIE {that a} consensus was constructing among the many Congress trio of Ramesh Chennithala, Oommen Chandy and Mullappally to take care of the established order in the interim. But sources within the central management mentioned the native leaders are taking part in a ready sport as they’re going through “irrelevance” and therefore they’re “protecting each other.”The names of Sudhakaran and Ok Muraleedharan are doing the rounds as alternative for Mullapally. Though the social gathering received 19 of 20 seats within the Lok Sabha polls beneath Mullappally, it was a downhill journey for him since then, dropping the native physique elections final 12 months and the meeting polls now.

Satheesan to be Oppn chief?

Sources mentioned Thiruvanchoor floated Sudhakaran’s title for the following KPCC chief as a technique to realize the Kannur strongman’s assist for himself to be made the chief of opposition within the meeting. But V D Satheesan’s title is gaining momentum amongst youthful leaders, given his efficiency as a legislator, his sturdy secular picture and the age issue. Sections of the native management are strongly in opposition to such a transfer as it will imply projecting him as the following chief ministerial candidate.