Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress high command on Saturday revamped the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) by appointing former MLA and MP K.S. Alagiri as the president, in place of Su. Thirunavukkarasar.
For the first time, the party high command has appointed four working presidents to cover various regions of the State. They are: H. Vasantha Kumar, K. Jayakumar, M.K. Vishnu Prasad and Mayura Jayakumar.
K.S. Alagiri, who made a mark as a speaker in the Assembly and political platforms, was a loyalist of the late G.K. Moopanar, and joined the TMC launched by him. But he did not join Moopanar’s son G.K. Vasan when he re-launched the party. He switched loyalties to former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram. He was elected to the Assembly in 1991 and again in 1996.
“I have been an ordinary worker of the Congress for nearly 50 years, and AICC president Rahul Gandhi has honoured me by offering the highest post of the Congress party in the State,” Mr. Alagiri told The Hindu.
When asked how he viewed his new role against the backdrop of Tamil Nadu being seen as an important State for the Congress, Mr. Alagiri said he would provide all possible help to the DMK as it was the “natural ally of the Congress” and would work towards winning all the 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Pledges support to DMK
“Late DMK leader Kalaignar [Karunanidhi] had great rapport with [former PM] Indira Gandhi and [Congress leader] Sonia Gandhi and had extended full support to them in the elections. Now, Mr. Stalin has proposed Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the anti-BJP front, and it has galvanised Congress members all over the country,” said Mr. Alagiri, who was elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls from the Cuddalore constituency.
Mr. Vasantha Kumar, younger brother of former TNCC president Kumari Anandan, is a sitting member of the Assembly. A native of Agastheeswaram in Kanniyakumari district, he was elected from the Nanguneri Assembly constituency in Tirunelveli district. His appointment has given representation to southern Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Jayakumar was a former MLA and the Dalit face of the Congress in the State. He was elected from Namakkal in 2001 and 2006.
Mr. Vishnu Prasad is the son of former TNCC president M. Krishnaswamy. He has represented the party in the Assembly and his appointment is expected to win the goodwill of the dominant Vanniyar community in the north.
Mayura Jayakumar is from Coimbatore and will represent the Kongu region, as prominent leaders of the area are either no longer active or have joined other parties.