Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram District Congress Committee (DCC) president Palode Ravi has stepped down from his post following the leak of a controversial phone conversation. KPCC president and MLA Sunny Joseph confirmed that Ravi's resignation has been accepted.

The Congress has also expelled A Jaleel, the general secretary of the Vamanapuram block committee, from the party's primary membership. Sunny Joseph stated that Jaleel was removed after a preliminary inquiry determined his actions were against the party. It was Jaleel who recorded and leaked the phone conversation with Palode Ravi.

In the audio clip, Palode Ravi is heard predicting a third consecutive term for the LDF and a setback for the Congress in the upcoming local body elections, including in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. He also claims the Congress will slip to third place in the panchayat elections and fare poorly in the Assembly polls, winning only third place in 60 constituencies. He warns that such a performance would mark the further decline of the Congress in Kerala.

Following the leak, Ravi dismissed the controversial audio clip attributed to him as merely a cautionary message intended for a Congress worker.“Congress needs to be extremely vigilant. We are facing a tight three-way contest and cannot afford to be complacent. What I said was that we must stand united and set aside internal differences,” Ravi told the media.