Thiruvananthapuram: KPCC president K Sudhakaran is set to submit to the party leadership a new draft list of District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents. He is set to arrive in New Delhi on Tuesday to finalise the list and is expected to call on AICC general secretaries K C Venugopal and Tariq Anwar.
According to party sources, efforts are on to publish the list by this week itself.
Other than Palakkad, Kollam and Alappuzha DCCs, the leadership has zeroed in on one name for the president's post.
For Kollam DCC, the name of P Rajendra Prasad has been met with opposition due to his old age. But KPCC working president Kodikunnil Suresh seems to be strongly backing him.
In Palakkad, the names being considered are that of former DCC president A V Gopinath and DCC secretary K G Thankappan, who is a protege of AICC general secretary K C Venugopal. His seniority in the party and his ability to galvanise the party machinery make Gopinath a frontrunner for the post. But those supporting Thankappan said that considering Gopinath for the post went against the provisions of the guidelines agreed upon for the appointment of new DCC presidents.
For Alappuzha DCC president post, the problem is finding one who is acceptable to the two key players in Alappuzha Congress, former Opposition Leader in the Assembly Ramesh Chennithala and K C Venugopal.
Last-minute revision of list
A few probables who had made it to the initial list had riled a few sections in the party, leading to public denunciation of some and even pasting of posters against leaders backing the former.
A poster against Sashi Tharoor, MP, which was put up in front of the Thiruvananthapuram DCC office, was removed later. Tharoor was blamed for supporting a non-entity for the post of DCC president.
An online group now!
Meanwhile, chats in a WhatsApp group named RC Group, ostensibly supporting Ramesh Chennithala, urged the group members to stage protests in the district when the final list comes out. The group members were asked to foment trouble in the districts by whipping up the passion of the supporters of those who do not find a name in the final list.
But Chennithala's office denied any involvement with such a WhatsApp group. The office said that Chennithala has no link with any such online group.
