With power back in its hands and a major organisational overhaul on the horizon, Kottayam is emerging as an early battleground for the Congress, with intense lobbying under way for the post of District Congress Committee (DCC) president.

A change of guard at the Kottayam DCC has become inevitable with incumbent president Nattakom Suresh being elected to the Assembly from Ettumanur. With the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) now back in power, the position has assumed added significance. According to party sources, nearly half a dozen leaders are actively positioning themselves for the post.

Kottayam has traditionally been considered an A group stronghold, with the district organisation remaining firmly under the influence of the faction led by the late Oommen Chandy. The post of DCC president, meanwhile, had long remained largely the preserve of leaders from the Christian community. The tenures of M.P. Govindan Nair and Nattakom Suresh were among the rare exceptions to this convention.

Major realignment

However, Mr. Chandy’s passing triggered a major realignment within the party. Bereft of a unifying leader, many former A group leaders gradually gravitated towards the camp led by K.C. Venugopal. According to a senior leader, this diminished influence of the A group became evident during the formation of the new ministry, when it failed to secure a berth for Chandy Oommen despite sustained efforts by his supporters. At the same time, leaders having affinity to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala have also entered the fray.

Among the prominent names doing the rounds are Philson Mathews, Biju Punnathanam, Philip Joseph, G. Gopakumar, Siby Chenappady and Eugene Thomas. While Mr. Mathews is considered close to Mr. Satheesan, Mr. Joseph, the district president of INTUC, is regarded as a trusted confidant of Mr. Chennithala. Party sources, however, do not rule out the emergence of a consensus candidate or even a surprise contender as the selection process gathers momentum.

According to senior Congress leaders, no official communication regarding the appointment of new DCC presidents has been received so far. “The leadership is likely to enter into the process of electing a new KPCC president only after presentation of the State Budget by the new government,” said a Congress leader.

Community and caste equations are expected to play a crucial role in the final decision. With the district panchayat president already belonging to the Christian community, a section within the party is expecting the DCC presidency be entrusted to a leader from the Hindu community. The stance of Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, the senior most Congress leader in the district, is also deemed significant.

Meanwhile, indications are that the Congress leadership may adopt the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan (SSA), an organisational restructuring initiative launched by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), for selecting DCC presidents in Kerala. As part of the exercise, central observers are expected to visit each district and interact with party workers across factional and organisational lines.

Congress leaders point out that DCC presidents have already been appointed under the SSA framework in 14 States, covering nearly 525 district units, while the process is under way in six other States. A section of Kerala leaders, however, remains sceptical about the model’s practical applicability in the State, arguing that DCC presidents have traditionally been selected from panels recommended by the KPCC leadership.