K V Thomas too demands party elections

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former union minister K. V. Thomas has joined hands with former chief minister Oommen Chandy in demanding organisational elections and a new PCC president.   He has raised the demand in the  backdrop of the KPCC executive meeting held on Saturday which  disappointed the 100-odd leaders who had hoped for a   discussion  on the party revamp. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has promised to hold organisational elections after the Assembly elections in five states. 

However, PCC president V. M. Sudheeran and Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala  are not keen on the party  elections  as they want to  continue in their posts. “Chennithala’s fear is that the  ‘I’ group headed by former chief minister K. Karunakaran’s loyalists will get more support in the party,” said a Congress leader. Mr Thomas, Ernakulam MP, who is also the chairman of Public Accounts Committee,  said that only organisational elections can revive the party. 

He has been a  Karunakaran  loyalist and has closer ties with the AICC leadership. “With more senior leaders demanding elections,   Sudheeran and Chennithala may receive a setback,” said a leader.    The  KPCC leadership has not called the meeting of its office-bearers for more than six months.  Mr  Sudheeran  informed the leaders who sought a discussion on the party revamp that he will hold a separate meeting on February  22.