Kochi: Thrissur District Congress Committee (DCC) president Jose Valloor and United Democratic Front (UDF) district chairman MP Vincent are likely to resign from their posts on Sunday with the party initiating a set of corrective measures following the disgraceful defeat of its candidate in Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency.
Valloor and Vincent came under fire following senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan's loss to BJP’s Suresh Gopi as the party feels that poll debacle and resultants incidents in DCC office brought shame to the Congress despite its impressive performance in the Lok Sabha polls elsewhere in the state.
The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) will appoint a four-member committee to study the reasons behind the party’s loss in Thrissur and Alathur constituencies, sources said. The Congress-led UDF won 18 out of the 20 LS seats, while BJP grabbed Thrissur and CPM, Alathur. The drop in the party’s vote share in areas of Thrissur district within Chalakudy constituency will also be investigated, they said.
With Valloor quitting, the party is likely to bring VK Sreekandan, who has been re-elected from the Palakkad Lok Sabha seat, to helm the Thrissur DCC for the time being. Other names will be considered only if MP refuses to take over the post. He was the Palakkad DCC president before he was elected to Lok Sabha for the first time in 2019.
A top Congress leader confirmed to Onmanorama that the DCC president and district UDF chairman have been asked to step down. However, the leader said they had been told to leave the posts not because of the electoral loss but due to the incidents that followed.
Muraleedharan’s loss triggered a riot within the Congress’ Thrissur unit with his followers pointing fingers at the district leadership. What started with posters calling for Valloor’s resignation culminated in Congress workers turning to two groups and clashing with each other inside the party office. The Thrissur police have booked Valloor and 20 others based on a complaint filed by Sajeevan Kuriachira, a Muraleedharan supporter, who was allegedly assaulted by Valloor’s supporters.
Muraleedharan has reiterated his stand that he would take a break from active political life and stay away from electoral contests now. He said he would be active on the party’s campaign front during the local body elections due next year as an ordinary party worker.
