Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Congress getting ready for second round of revamp

Girish Menon

To cover some block, mandalam panels as well

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress in Kerala is getting ready for its second round revamp. The presidents of some of District Congress Committees would find themselves out of office at the end of the revamp that is expected to take place soon keeping in mind the need to revitalise the lower party apparatus in time for the Assembly elections.

The revamp, according to a senior party leader, will also cover some of the block and mandalam committees that have not been functioning satisfactorily. The district presidents of Kannur, Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram and Wayanad might lose their posts as the Congress leadership feels that a more efficient team needs to be inducted.

In Kannur, the party feels that a social correction also needs to be made.

President of the KPCC Ramesh Chennithala had dropped broad hints about the impending changes while giving his party executive meeting's assessment about the defeat in the Thiruvananthapuram byelection. He had said the party had found that some of the "consensus committees" that had been constituted to ensure smooth organisational elections earlier this year were found wanting in terms of coordination and effectiveness in electioneering.

The executive had also decided to reconstitute some of the booth and mandalam committees.

Consensus committees

The consensus committees had been formed at all levels of the organisational structure in the election held soon after the split engineered by the veteran leader K. Karunakaran.

These committees came into being as it had become imperative to accommodate all those who deserted Mr. Karunakaran and preferred to stay put with the Congress headed by Sonia Gandhi.

Many had been given promises of accommodation in order to induce them to continue in the Congress.

The real test for these committees came during the local bodies elections.

In several areas, these committees, the party leadership felt, could not function in a coordinated manner.

"If we face the Assembly elections with such DCCs, we would be defeated. If we have to revive our sinking fortunes, the DCCs and the lower apparatus need to be revamped," he said.

Chennithala in Delhi

Mr. Chennithala is in Delhi at present and is expected to discuss the pros and cons of the revamp.

UDF convener P. P. Thankachan, the former KPCC president Vayalar Ravi, Congress Working Committee member A. K. Antony are expected to participate in the talks.

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