VM Sudheeran to go ahead with revamp before poll

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran has categorically said that he would go ahead with the party revamping before the local body elections.

He said his priority was to equip the party for the imminent elections. Mr Sudheeran was talking to reporters in New Delhi after meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Sudheeran’s single-minded focus is not expected to go down well with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and home minister Ramesh Chennithala, who would like to share the spoils along group lines.

Mr Chandy would be leaving for Delhi late night to attend the farmers’ rally on Sunday and is also expected to meet the Congress leadership.

Mr Sudheeran told reporters that the Congress president had not opposed to his suggestion so far when he had apprised her of the preparations for the local body elections.

He held talks with senior Congress leader A. K. Antony. Dipak Babaria, the AICC secretary in charge of the state, called on him at Kerala House. Mr Sudheeran opined that whatever issues were there, it could be solved within a week’s time, provided the rest of the leaders too cooperated.

“The preparations for the local body polls have been communicated to the Congress president. Sonia Gandhi too has not opposed to the suggestion so far, and none has asked me to stop the revamping. Each time I come and meet her and apprise her of the Kerala politics, I get a new found vigour,” said Mr Sudheeran.

He also added that he was not there to create controversies or to challenge anyone in the party.

Sources close to AICC leadership told DC that Congress president had kept high hopes on the outcome of the local body elections, and Mr Sudheeran is keen to fulfil it.

Mr Sudheeran also informed that he as well as Mr Chandy had been asked to attend the farmers rally in Delhi for which he had arrived a day early.

Mr Chandy will be reaching in the wee hours of Sunday. Though Mr Chennithala too were invited, he is away in Bahrain.