The new Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) team will assume office on September 27.
New president of the KPCC Mullappally Ramachandran will assume office at 12 noon on that day at a solemn function at the Indira Bhavan. Outgoing president M.M. Hassan will officially handover the reins of office at the function.
K. Sudhakaran, M.I. Shanavaz and Kodikunnil Suresh will assume office as working presidents, along with Benny Behanan as UDF convener and K. Muraleedharan as chairman of the KPCC publicity committee.
This is for the first time that the KPCC is going to have working presidents and a head for its publicity committee. There is bound to be a sharing of responsibilities between the three working presidents. It is presumed that the KPCC president will allot the work for the working presidents in consultation with other senior leaders.
The fate of the existing vice presidents is not known, but Congress leaders say that there would be a comprehensive change in the structure of the office-bearers that would delete the posts of vice presidents.
Mr. Ramachandran walks into the coveted position, thanks to his last innings as the Congress Election Authority that oversaw the smooth generational transition in the Congress party with Rahul Gandhi assuming office as AICC president. Earlier, he was KPCC vice president, before the Vadakara parliament ticket came in search of him in 2009.
Mr. Gandhi has adopted the “working president model” in several States as part of his promise to provide roles to old and new generation leaders in the party. But the induction of Mr. Sudhakaran, Mr. Shanavaz and Mr. Suresh, apart from the social balance it seeks to maintain, takes care of factional arrangements to some extent.
Mr. Shanavaz along with Mr. Ramachandran are currently sitting parliament members. According to Congress leaders, it is possible that the two leaders will make way for new comers with their induction in party posts.
For Benny Behanan, known to be close to former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, the assignment as UDF convener is a big break, Mr. Behanan found himself in political wilderness when he was denied a ticket in 2016 elections. Mr. Behanan, with his record of being a good organiser, can be a perfect player in the coalition. Mr. Muraleedharan has been given the task of publicity campaign. The onus would be on him to define the post and make it a pivotal one in the coming elections.
The KPCC president-designate will be given a reception at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport here on Wednesday under the auspices of the Thiruvananthapuram District Congress Committee.
The KPCC has also announced that the party’s political affairs committee, presided over by Mr. Ramachandran, will hold its meeting on Thursday evening.