Elevation of Sunny Joseph as KPCC chief reshapes Congress power play

Move gave Sudhakaran dignified exit & named his confidant at top, keeping his power intact

- LAKSHMI ATHIRA @Kannur

THE CONGRESS party's announcement of Sunny Joseph as the new KPCC president has triggered a realignment of internal power blocs, while also showcasing a deliberate attempt at social balancing. The move gave outgoing chief K Sudhakaran a dignified exit and installed his close confidant at the top, keeping his influence intact, said sources.

Sunny, a three-time MLA and a practising Syro-Malabar Catholic, enjoys broad acceptability in his constituency and has received "strong backing from Church leadership, including Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of Tellicherry, Archbishop Thomas Tharayil of Changanacherry, and the Ernakulam Archdiocese," sources told TNIE.

Sources said "mounting displeasure from influential dioceses" had created pressure on the Congress leadership to ensure that the KPCC president's post went to a Syro-Malabar Christian. The decision is viewed as a strategic step to retain the traditional Catholic vote bank that had started warming up to the BJP.