Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress party is set to reorganise the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). Even as the recent appointment of new heads for the district-level bodies caused resentment to a few ambitious leaders, the party has decided to go ahead unperturbed while inducting new KPCC members by adopting stringent norms.
The party leadership has decided not to offer KPCC office-bearer roles to those who had held the posts of vice-president and general secretary for five years.
The decision was made at a meeting KPCC president K Sudhakaran and Opposition leader V D Satheesan had with senior leaders Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala. The meeting discussed the criteria to be followed while restructuring the KPCC. It also decided to reconstitute the party's political affairs committee.
The 14 leaders, who were recently removed as presidents of District Congress Committees (DCCs), will also not be considered for KPCC leadership roles. They will be accommodated in the 51-member executive committee. Defeat in the recently concluded Assembly polls will not bar candidates from taking up leadership roles.
The meeting decided against fixing an age-ceiling. Youth and women will get better representation in the KPCC, which will have 15 general secretaries and three vice-presidents, as decided earlier.
The leadership informed Chandy and Chennithala that their nominees will be considered for appointment in the KPCC, but cautioned that they should not be considered as representatives of groups within the Congress. A final decision on KPCC office-bearers will be made in consultation with Chandy and Chennithala.
The KPCC will exercise caution after complaints that Chandy and Chennithala had not been adequately consulted before appointing DCC presidents. The appointment of DCC presidents has led to in-party squabbles, which also saw a few leaders crossing floors to CPM.
A decision on KPCC office-bearers is likely to be made this month itself.
