In a bid to organisationally revitalise the flailing Congress in Kerala, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) has announced the much-awaited list of 51 Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office-bearers.
The AICC has attempted to engineer a generational shift in the party in Kerala and tried to achieve a social balance by accommodating leaders from different communities and castes. It has also ensured women representation to some measure. It has also given space to the choice of the powerful ‘A’ and ‘I’ groups.
The new vice presidents are N. Sakthan, V.T. Balaram, V.J. Paulose and V.P. Sajeendran. The AICC has nominated Prathapa Chandran as treasurer.
The AICC has co-opted five women, including three general secretaries and two executive committee members, into the KPCC leadership hierarchy. The women general secretaries are K.A. Thulasi, Alipatta Jameela and Deepthi Mary Varghese. The executive committee members are Padmaja Venugopal and P.R. Sona.
General secretaries
There are 23 KPCC general secretaries in all. They are A.A. Shukoor, Prathapa Varma Thampan, S. Ashokan, Mariapuram Sreekumar, K.K. Abraham, Sony Sebastian, K. Jayanth, P.M. Niyas, Aryadan Shoukath, C. Chandran, T.U. Radhakrishnan, Abdul Muthalib, Josy Sebastian, P.A. Salim, Pazhakulam Madhu, M.J. Job, K.P. Sreekumar, M.M. Nazeer, G.S. Babu, and G. Subhodhan.
Notable KPCC executive committee members are KPCC president K. Sudhakaran, Congress Legislature Party leader V.D. Satheesan, KPCC working presidents Kodikunnil Suresh and T. Siddique, both MPs, and P.T. Thomas, MLA.
V.S. Sivakumar, Varkala Kahar and T. Saratchandra Prasad have made it to the new KPCC executive committee.
A.V. Gopinath, the Congress veteran from Palakkad who had rebelled against the KPCC leadership, has found no place in the rejigged KPCC.
‘A’ and ‘I’ factions had protested against the secretive nature in which the KPCC had prepared the final list.
Mr. Sudhakaran said no Congress leader would publicly protest against the revamp.
