New Delhi: The ongoing efforts to name the new office-bearers of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has hit a hurdle at the eleventh hour. As a result, the state party chief K Sudhakaran returned from Delhi without handing over the list of picks to the high command.
With umpteen number of claims, complaints and requirements to be dealt with by the state Congress leadership, a final list of new office-bearers is still proving to be elusive. The leadership is reportedly facing pressure from several competing lobbies as the new KPCC committee will have only 51 members rather than a much-derided jumbo panel as in the past.
Party sources said following the decision to slash the jumbo committee, many leaders will have to be kept out of the panel this time. Therefore, more discussions are needed to resolve the issue amicably.
The move to relax party norms to ensure inclusion of women representatives in the apex state committee has already evoked protest from certain quarters.
The state Congress leadership is still grappling with the names of leaders to be included in the KPCC office-bearers list so that a communal equilibrium of sorts is achieved.
In this backdrop, Sudhakaran is likely to hold discussions with veteran factional leaders Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala again. Earlier he had spoken to them over phone from Delhi.
The KPCC president who was camping in Delhi for the past couple of days had to return to Kerala on Monday without handing over the list to the All-India Congress Committee. Opposition leader V D Satheeshan had returned to the state on Sunday evening stating that the discussions related to office-bearers list were over.
Meanwhile, former KPCC presidents Mullapally Ramachandran and V M Sudheeran are annoyed with the state leadership for not holding discussions with them regarding the organisational revamp.
Anwar back only after Oct 15
However, the state Congress leadership maintained that it could not handover the list to the high command on Monday as planned as the AICC general secretary in-charge of Kerala Tariq Anwar had to leave for Bihar. The list will be submitted once he returns to Delhi after October 15.
Sudhakaran is expected to fly back to Delhi later this week.
The high command has already directed the state leaders to avoid public outbursts and protests over the likely choices to the KPCC. The selection of DCC presidents had led to much heartburn among aspirants and a few even left the party in anger.
