Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress Thursday appointed Peravoor MLA Sunny Joseph as its new Kerala chief, a move seen as a big step to revitalise the state unit ahead of crucial local body and assembly polls and regain its hold among the state’s Christian community.
The appointment comes after week-long suspense over the leadership change in the southern state, which led to an open display of contention within the party ranks.
A former president of the Kannur district Congress Committee, Joseph is a three-time MLA representing Peravoor constituency in the district.
Peravoor had been a Congress stronghold since 1977, but the party lost the seat in the 2006 assembly election to senior CPI(M) leader K.K. Shailaja.
In the 2011 assembly elections, the Congress chose Joseph for the seat, which he won with 48.1 percent votes against Shailaja’s 45.1 percent. Joseph has never lost the seat since.
The leader entered the party at a young age through the Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of the Congress, later rising through the ranks via the Youth Congress.
The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has appointed outgoing Congress Chief K. Sudhakaran a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC).
Attingal MP Adoor Prakash has been named the party’s convenor, while younger leaders—Kundara legislator P. C. Vishnunath, Wandoor MLA A. P. Anil Kumar, and Vadakara MP Shafi Parambil—have been appointed as working presidents.
Joseph said he considered the appointment a responsibility rather than a political post.
“I will work to strengthen the party across the nation with the support of AICC leaders, and party leaders and cadres in the state,” he told the media.
Joseph said he will learn from Sudhakaran’s leadership qualities and lead the party.
“It’s a team of youngsters and mature leaders. This team will lead the party’s historic comeback in the next elections,” Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan told the media, adding that all Congress functionaries were happy with the decision.
Satheesan refuted reports suggesting that Joseph’s appointment was based on the recommendation of church leaders. “We are a party that has representatives of all communities. So we will always have a social balance. Unlike other political parties, Congress has all religions and communities. No communities should feel they are sidelined.”
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Shift of Christian community towards BJP
Political analyst C.R. Neelakandan said the revamp might be a political move by the Congress high command to counter the shift of the state’s Christian community towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Likewise, the appointment of Ezhava leader Adoor Prakash might also showcase a social balance in the party, he said.
Traditionally supporters of the Congress, sections of Kerala’s Christian community have in recent years shown signs of shifting towards the BJP.
According to a CSDS-Lokniti survey after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, five percent of the Christian community voted for the BJP, which the survey termed a first in the state. The BJP had increased its vote share from 13 percent in 2019 to 16.68 percent in 2024.
“There is a strong anti-incumbency sentiment in the state’s high ranges due to the increasing man-animal conflict. So, we can’t blame them for focusing on a Christian leader from the state’s high range,” Neelakandan said.
Notably, Satheesan had led a 10-day ‘Malayora Samara Pracharanayatra’ to address the concerns of farmers in the state’s hilly areas.
Neelakandan said even if the revamp led to rumblings within the Congress, it might be short-lived, as the Congress was always able to succeed amid infighting in the state.
He added that despite health concerns, Sudhakaran was consistently projected as a Kannur leader and a political rival to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan — a positioning that has lost much of its relevance in recent times.
While the Congress remains a significant force in Kerala, infighting has frequently dominated headlines in the state.
Political analyst and former journalist K.P. Sethunath said the revamp could intensify factionalism in the party rather than helping it.
“The popular feeling is that they have four people vying for the CM post: V.D. Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala, Shashi Tharoor and K.C. Venugopal. Venugopal is the strongest power centre among all. And apparently, he wanted to eliminate the contenders,” Sethunath said.
“Sudhakaran is a strong contender. He is not a pushover. Chennithala is also strong, but he is almost sidelined organisationally. So it looks like Venugopal’s maneuvering led to this leadership change,” he added.
He also said that decentralisation of the KPCC chief’s power might lead to infighting in the party.
Sethunath said the new leadership has many youngsters taking over the party, but senior leaders, including Sudhakaran, cannot be silenced.
He added that the state would have to wait and see if the decision proves successful, as Joseph currently lacks popularity across Kerala.
“He has worked mostly in the northern region and doesn’t have a pan-Kerala appeal,” Sethunath said.
Culmination of week-long suspense
The AICC decision to revamp the Kerala Congress leadership comes after a week of speculation and controversies as Sudhakaran met Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi on 2 May.
As rumours of leadership change circulated, Sudhakaran dismissed them, saying he would step down as KPCC chief only after ousting the LDF government.
Meanwhile, posters appeared across the state, expressing support for Sudhakaran and even mocking potential successors.
However, on Thursday, Sudhakaran said he was expecting his removal after meeting with the high command.
“The only thing I didn’t know was my replacement. I am really happy about the decision they made. I accept it. I can accept his (Joseph’s) leadership. Congress will be here, in India, and in Kannur. I pray that Sunny Joseph’s strength will lead the party,” Sudhakaran said Thursday night as he addressed the media along with Joseph.
He said Joseph was chosen after Rahul Gandhi had directly discussed with many leaders.
The senior leader, who was the Minister of Forest and Wildlife in the 1991 A.K. Antony cabinet, represented the Kannur Assembly constituency from 1996 to 2009. He also won from the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency in 2009, 2019 and 2024.
“K. Sudharakaran led the party exceptionally well in the last four years. We value his work so much. Whenever the Marxist party tried to attack us, Sudhakaran led the party even in their bastions. He is one of the assets of the party in the state. That is why he was included as a permanent invitee of the party’s working committee,” Venugopal said.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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