Kochi: P C Chacko, who recently resigned from the Congress protesting against its faction-based candidate selections for the Kerala Assembly polls, on Tuesday announced that he would join the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Amid reports that he would meet NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Tuesday, he disclosed that he would work with a party that has "similar culture to that of the Congress".
The former member of the Congress Working Committee, however, ruled out joining the BJP or the CPM.
As the NCP is a member of ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) alliance in Kerala, the 74-year-old could campaign for the political combine in the run-up to the April 6 Assembly polls.
Chacko, who is an influential leader from Kerala, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Thrissur (1991), Mukundapuram (1996), Idukki (1998 ) and Thrissur (2009) constituencies.
Chacko is the second senior leader to quit the national party after Jyotiraditya Scindia. Scindia joined the BJP after his resignation over differences with Madhya Pradesh state leadership of the Congress.
Last week, Chacko had alleged that the national leadership of the Congress has not been active for the last two years.
"I have sent my resignation letter to Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) and to Rahul Gandhi. This decision, I have been deliberating for the last many days", Chacko told a press conference in New Delhi, announcing his decision to quit over alleged undemocratic ways in selection of candidates for the Assembly polls.
"No democracy left in the Congress. Candidate list has not been discussed with the state Congress committee," he had said.
Hitting out at the leadership of the two groups in Kerala's Congress party - "A" group headed by former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and "I" group led by senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala - Chacko alleged that only Chandy and Chennithala know who all are being fielded as the party's candidates for the Kerala Assembly polls.
"I come from Kerala where there is no Congress party as such. There are two parties Congress (I) and Congress (A). It's a coordination committee of two parties functioning as KPCC," Chacko had alleged.
"This groupism is the biggest bane of the Congress party in Kerala. Kerala is facing a very crucial election and in this election, the people want the Congress to come back. But, the stumbling block is the groupism which is practised by top leaders of the Congress party", said Chacko.
Chacko, a former state minister and the head of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on 2G Spectrum during the second UPA rule, said he had been continuously arguing with the high command to stamp out factionalism but failed.
