Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Sunday appointed N Sakthan as the interim president of the Thiruvananthapuram District Congress Committee (DCC). On Saturday, Palode Ravi resigned as the DCC president following a controversy over his leaked phone conversation.
Sakthan, who previously served as the Speaker of the Kerala Assembly, is also a former KPCC vice-president.

Addressing the media on Sunday, Sakthan said Palode Ravi was not against the party. He urged news channels to wait for the full voice clip. "Ravi’s intentions would be clear once the complete conversation is available."

He added that while Ravi did not commit any serious mistake, he should have avoided using certain words. "The media should release Palode Ravi’s full conversation. The public wants to know the truth. He was punished for a mistake he did not commit,” Sakthan said.

In the audio clip, Palode Ravi is heard stating that the Congress party will become irrelevant after the upcoming local body election if it continues to function in its current manner, and that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) will retain power for a third consecutive term. The leaked conversation was between Ravi and a local leader.

 KPCC Chief Sunny Joseph announced the expulsion of Vamanapuram block general secretary A Jaleel, whose eight-minute phone conversation with Ravi was leaked to the media, from the party's primary membership for engaging in "anti-organisational activities".

In the clip, Ravi is heard saying that the Congress would slip into third position, behind the BJP.  "In the panchayat elections, Congress will slip to third place. In the Assembly elections too, we will fare poorly. Congress will come third in around 60 constituencies. The LDF will continue in power, and this will mark Congress’s decline,” Ravi said.

He also claims that many who currently claim allegiance to Congress will shift to the BJP or other parties. “Congress has people on the ground in only 10 per cent of areas. There is no sincerity or mutual affection among workers,” he is heard saying in the voice clip.

The Congress leader faced severe criticism following the leak, especially as the state prepares for the upcoming local body polls. The KPCC leadership sought an explanation from Ravi on the matter.
Party sources said Ravi was asked to resign on the instructions of the AICC leadership.