Kannur MP Okay Sudhakaran appointed chief of Congress in Kerala

The Congress excessive command Tuesday picked Kannur MP Okay Sudhakaran to go the occasion’s Kerala unit changing Mullappally Ramachandran.
Ramachandran had apprised the nationwide management of his need to step down, taking duty for the occasion’s debacle within the current Assembly elections. The Congress, which contested on 93 seats, gained simply 21 of them. The UDF, the alliance it leads, was restricted to 41 seats within the 140-member Assembly.
Sudhakaran, 73, was named the KPCC chief following consultations between Tariq Anwar, the overall secretary in-charge of the state, and MPs, MLAs and senior leaders of the occasion. It is speculated that former Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, former chief minister Oommen Chandy and Ramachandran didn’t specify their decisions for the publish.
“I’m very happy to hear the party high command’s decision. It’s a big responsibility to strengthen the party. The Congress will come back with renewed vigour. I will try to unify all the leaders,” Sudhakaran instructed reporters.

Though Sudhakaran had lobbied arduous to turn out to be the state occasion chief final yr, the excessive command selected to not impact a management change with the Assembly elections approaching. Now that he has been handed the duty, he should take the occasion’s two principal warring factions collectively and strengthen the organisational base for 2024, the following massive electoral take a look at.

Sudhakaran is the occasion’s tallest chief from Malabar and has earned a status of taking the rival CPM head-on, particularly within the latter’s stronghold of Kannur. Party staff credit score him for upholding an aggressive model of politics as a substitute of meekly surrendering to the CPM’s alleged violent ways within the district. Known for delivering electrifying speeches geared toward enthusing cadres, Sudhakaran has typically attracted controversy for his private remarks on Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister and CPM’s tallest chief. He has additionally not shied away from publicly stating the drawbacks in his personal occasion, particularly within the wake of defeats.
Sudhakaran has been elected 4 occasions to the state Assembly previously and is mid-way into his second time period as a Lok Sabha MP from Kannur. In 2019, he defeated CPM’s PK Sreemathi by over 94,000 votes within the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency.

He was one in all three working presidents of the state unit and has held a slew of key management positions inside the occasion. He has additionally been a minister accountable for the forest portfolio within the AK Antony-led authorities between 2001 and 2004.
Sudhakaran’s appointment comes within the wake of a generational change within the occasion’s management within the Assembly. Last month, five-time MLA from Paravur, VD Satheesan, was named the occasion’s legislative chief, changing veteran Chennithala.