With new party chief in place, Congress set for major overhaul in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, May 23 (IANS) Less than two weeks after appointing Sunny Joseph as the new Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, the Congress high command is preparing for a major organisational overhaul at both the state and district levels in the state.

According to sources familiar with the development, the restructuring will be guided by two key reports -- one by strategist Sunil Kanugolu and another by the AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala, Deepa Das Munshi.

Both reports highlight the Congress party’s weak grassroots presence in Kerala, especially when compared to rivals CPI(M) and BJP, who have robust booth-level machinery. The reports recommend urgent corrective steps to address this structural gap.

The decision to revamp the party also stems from a shift in leadership dynamics. The once-dominant figures like K. Karunakaran, A.K. Antony, Oommen Chandy, Vayalar Ravi, and Ramesh Chennithala no longer wield the influence they once did.

While Karunakaran and Chandy have passed away, Ravi has largely withdrawn from public life, Antony is in the twilight of his career, and Chennithala’s influence declined sharply after the Congress-led UDF’s unexpected defeat in the 2021 assembly polls.

A political observer, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that the high command has asserted itself more since 2021, especially after choosing V.D. Satheesan as the Leader of the Opposition over Chennithala, despite the latter having greater support within the legislative party.

They also appointed Kannur strongman K. Sudhakaran as KPCC chief -- who has now been replaced with Joseph.

"With Sudhakaran's exit, another round of restructuring appears imminent. Unlike earlier eras, where key posts were shared among senior leaders, this revamp will have the unmistakable stamp of the high command and could bring in many new faces," the political observer said.

The urgency is also linked to the upcoming local body elections later this year and the state assembly polls in April-May 2026.

The CPI(M)-led Left Front has already announced that the Pinarayi Vijayan government is aiming for a third consecutive term.

Observers are watching closely to see whether Congress will revert to forming jumbo committees or follow the two reports’ recommendation to keep teams lean and merit-based.

All eyes will also be on K.C. Venugopal, a key figure in the AICC and currently the most influential Congress leader from Kerala, to see how much sway he will hold in shaping the new party structure.

--IANS

sg/skp