NCP members in seven districts discuss exit strategy, 25 quit in Kasaragod

Kanhangad: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) -- one of the smallest parties in the ruling Left Democratic Front (NCP) in terms of members -- is likely to see an en masse erosion of its supporters because of the power struggle among its leaders.

Ravi Kulangara, NCP's state committee member, and 25 workers resigned from the party in Kasaragod on Saturday. He said they quit NCP because state president P C Chacko ignored their complaint against the election for six months.

Kulangara was the district president of the party unit till 2022. He alleged he was removed in a coup planned by minister A K Saseendran.

Meanwhile, the former Kannur unit president of the NCP Ramachandran said workers are planning to quit the NCP in seven other districts. "We have formed a committee under the leadership of national secretary N A Mohammed Kutty. We met in Ernakulam to chalk out our plan. We decided to leave the party. Now meetings are being held in these districts and our leader will make the announcement," he said.

Disgruntled NCP members in Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kannur, and Pathanamthitta districts are part of the committee under Mohammed Kutty, he said. "There are not many. Only around 30 to 40 members in each of the districts," he said.

Meanwhile, Kulangara alleged that the NCP's district committee election was stolen by minister A K Saseendran.

The party state leaders and the district leaders agreed that there would be no election and office-bearers would be selected based on consensus. "They also agreed to give me an extension," he said.

On the eve of the district conference in August, Kulangara and Kareem Chandra, the party's district general secretary, held a press conference. Kareem told reporters there would be no election.

But the following day, three minutes before the party was supposed to announce the panel of names for the district committee, a faction led by Kareem announced another panel and there was an election.

Kareem's panel got 20 votes and Kulangara got only 13 votes. Kulangara said 40 delegates had voting rights. Several of them did not turn up because there was supposed to be no election.

"But at least 15 votes were cast by impersonators from Kasaragod and Manjeshwar. The rigging was orchestrated by party general secretary Razak Moulavi, a confidant of the minister," he alleged.

Kulangara said he submitted to party president Chacko proof of delegate impersonation by 15 persons. "But the president did not cancel the election. I held talks with him several times. But he is not inclined to act on the leaders," he said.

"So we decided to leave the party. It is a painful decision," he said.

Both Ramachandran and Kulangara said they have not decided which party they would join.