Congress rejig in Kerala ends uncertainty, balances equations in party

Thiruvananthapuram, May 8 (PTI) Ending weeks of uncertainty over a change of guard in the Congress party in Kerala, the AICC on Thursday has gone for a complete overhaul of the leadership in the state, by replacing K Sudhakaran MP with three-time MLA Sunny Joseph.

The party also appointed three new working presidents for the state-- P C Vishnunath, A P Anil Kumar and Shafi Parambil, while Adoor Prakash was named as the new convenor of the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) in place of M M Hassan.

The long-awaited reshuffle in the party leadership comes ahead of the local body elections to be held later this year and the assembly elections due in mid-2026.

Though Sudhakaran had expressed his disapproval against the moves to remove him from the KPCC post, the party high command had taken the decision to bring in a new face ahead of crucial elections in the state.

Sudhakaran has been made a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), in a bid to balance the group equations in the party unit in Kerala.

The names of two Christian leaders including Sunny Joseph were being considered for the KPCC chief’s post as the party feared that the Christian community, which had always been supportive of the Congress-led Front in the past, was drifting away from UDF of late.

Sunny Joseph, MLA from Peravoor in Kannur district, who has been assigned to lead the party in the next assembly polls, told reporters that he has no ‘personal agenda’ but will effectively work together with top leaders and district Congress committees to ensure victory for the UDF in the next elections.

Thanking the AICC leadership for choosing him for the top job in the state party, Joseph said as an ordinary worker, he considers it not as a ‘post or position,’ but a responsibility handed to him by the party high command.

Joseph said the Congress party’s main objective is to return to power in the state and he will do his duty for that end.

“It is the collective opinion of the people that Congress should return to power, which was reflected in the results of the last Parliament elections,” he said.

Joseph said he will ensure unity within the party by working closely with senior leaders, the new working presidents and the UDF convener to ensure victory for the party.

Sunny Joseph has been representing Peravoor assembly constituency in Kannur since 2011.

Among the new working presidents, Shafi Parambil represents Vatakara (Kozhikode) in the Lok Sabha, while A P Anil Kumar and P C Vishnunath are MLAs from Wandoor (Malappuram) and Kundara (Kollam) respectively.

The new UDF convener Adoor Prakash is a senior leader and MP from Attingal constituency in Thiruvananthapuram district.

The appointments were made by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge earlier in the day. PTI MVG MVG ROH