Chennai: The successor to outspoken and firebrand TNCC leader E.V.K.S. Elangovan, who was forced to quit following Congress’ defeat in Assembly elections, could be announced this weekend. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi have completed their consultations with frontrunners for the post and AICC General Secretary in-charge Mukul Wasnik.
Highly placed sources in the AICC said the new TNCC chief could be announced either on Friday or Saturday along with the names of presidents for party units in Uttar Pradesh and a few other states. “The consultation process for the new TNCC chief is over. Since the party high command wants to announce the UPCC office-bearers first, it is taking time. Once the UP list is out on Friday, there will be announcement on TNCC chief as well,” a senior Congress leader said.
Ever since Mr Elangovan was asked to put in his papers following the party’s dismal performance in the May 16 Assembly elections, several leaders have been lobbying for the post. Senior leaders S Thirunavukarasar, Peter Alphonse, E M Sudharsana Natchiappan, Jayakumar and A Chellakumar and former MP Manicka Tagore and former deputy mayor of Chennai ‘Karate’ Thyagarajan have met Mr Rahul Gandhi and are understood to have conveyed their point of view.
There is intense speculation that either Mr Thirunavukarasar or Mr Alphonse would finally be the choice of the AICC with the former having with the Congress vice president and his team during the crisis that broke out while bifurcating Andhra Pradesh in 2013-2014. Another section within the Congress feels Mr Alphonse should be given the post to wean away supporters from G K Vasan, who broke away from the party in 2014 and revived the Tamil Maanila Congress, which was launched by his late father G K Moopanar in 1996.
The senior leader said the Congress high command is very clear that it wants only a leader who is articulate and who can carry all factions together should be made the TNCC chief.
