KPCC president post: M M Hassan gets Ramesh Chennithala support
The I' camp is not happy with Mr Hassan's plan to stick to his chair.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While Mr M.M. Hassan is keen on continuing as KPCC president till the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, a section of Congress leaders has favoured a Christian or a Hindu leader to replace him in view of the BJP’s game plan to split the Christian votes. The appointment of Mr Alphons Kannanthanam as union minister is aimed at making inroads into the Christian votes, which will be crucial for the BJP to wrest a few Lok Sabha seats from the state. Mr Hassan, who belongs to the Oommen Chandy group, has reportedly reached an understanding with Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala on his continuation as PCC chief.
Mr Hassan held talks with AICC vice- president Rahul Gandhi, general secretary in charge of the state, Mukul Wasnik, political secretary to Ms Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel and senior Congress leader A. K. Antony on the organisational elections in Delhi on Wednesday. He will consult more leaders on Thursday. Congress MP Sudarshan Nachiappan, who is also the returning officer for the polls countrywide, will reach here on Wednesday next to complete the schedule for forming a 280-member governing body of the KPCC by September 30.
The ‘I’ camp is not happy with Mr Hassan’s plan to stick to his chair. A Congress MLA told DC that Mr Chennithala prefers Mr Hassan as he is not a threat to his political ambitions. “The ‘I’ group leaders think that Mr Hassan is not a team leader who can steer the party to victory in the general elections. The MPs are also against a full term for him as party chief. They want a Christian or a Hindu to occupy the top post as they doubt that the CPM and the BJP will join hands to defeat the Congress. They have viewed with suspicion the lunch hosted by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for Mr Kannanthanam at Kerala House in New Delhi on Wednesday. A top Congress leader told DC that the BJP was trying to divide the party votes. “The major support for the Congress comes from the Christians. The BJP is aiming for the Christian votes to thwart the chances of the Congress. This is why we want a Christian or Hindu as PCC chief,” he said.