KERALA CONGRESS: NEW LEADERS, OLD TROUBLES

The Congress has effected a leadership change, but it will need to do more

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After deliberating for more than six months, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on May 8 effected a leadership change in the party’s Kerala unit by appointing Sunny Joseph as president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). Mr. Joseph, a three-time legislator from Peravoor, has replaced K. Sudhakaran.

Incidentally, the announcement came soon after Mr. Sudhakaran publicly asserted that he had no intention of relinquishing the post. However, the AICC was determined to revamp the KPCC given the pressure from senior State leaders. The matter was ultimately resolved through a carefully negotiated compromise: while Mr. Joseph, a trusted associate, was made KPCC president, Mr. Sudhakaran was appointed as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee. The AICC appointed MP Adoor Prakash as convener of the Congress-led UDF and also promoted A.P. Anil Kumar, P.C. Vishnunath, and Shafi Parambil as working presidents of the KPCC.