As the Congress high command is finalising the list of new District Congress Committee presidents in Kerala, the party unit in Kottayam appears to be on the knife edge in the absence of a consensus on who should get the job.
According to sources, the party leadership is considering a handful of leaders for the post after attempts by K.Sudhakaran, president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, to build support for a person above group equations collapsed.
The names that came up for consideration during the initial consultations were that of Eugene Thomas, Nattakom Suresh, Jomon Aikkara, and Philson Mathews.
Of this, the first two seem to have emerged as the frontrunners with Mr. Suresh also enjoying the State leadership’s backing. Mr. Suresh, regarded as close to P.T. Thomas, also has the backing of Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan while Oommen Chandy has so far desisted from suggesting any specific names.
The district unit, however, appears to be more inclined towards Mr.Thomas while the community equations too put him well ahead of Mr.Mathews. The chances of Mr.Aikkara appear too bleak in view of a Vigilance case against him.
With Mr. Chandy in its leadership, the ‘A’ group commands a considerable dominance in the party here. The ‘I’ group remains almost insignificant while a group supporting K.C.Venugopal has been active in the district of late.
“The ‘A’ group has been leading a fractured field since the previous local body elections even when its interests align at a broader sense.
The appointments in the neighbouring districts of Pathanamathitta, Alappuzha, and Idukki will also have a bearing on the selection of the next DCC president in Kottayam,” said a senior leader.
For instance, if the new DCC president in any of these districts belongs to the Ezhava community, it may naturally affect the prospects of Mr.Suresh, a member of the same community, he added.
In Pathanamthitta
Meanwhile in Pathanamathitta, Satheesh Kochuparambil, KPCC secretary and former member of the Mahatma Gandhi University Syndicate, appears to have almost sealed his spot as the next DCC president.
The name of Mr.Kochuparambil, who is associated with the ‘A’ group, was unanimously nominated to the post, according to sources.
