K.C. Venugopal could be shifting to state politics after the general elections.
The Congress party in Kerala could see major organisational changes after the Lok Sabha elections.
According to sources close to the top leadership, the current organisation general secretary, K.C. Venugopal could be shifting to state politics after the general elections. Leaders indicate that since the prospects of the Opposition winning the general elections seem weak, Venugopal could secure the top position in Kerala as president of the state unit. In the Assembly elections in the state, where the party expects to beat the Left Front by tapping into the anti-incumbency votes, Venugopal could lead from the front and in order to be the top choice for the chief ministerial position.
A leader said, “Venugopal has chief ministerial ambitions, therefore to be closer to the leaders of the state and to be the prime option for the top position, he could choose to convince Rahul Gandhi to secure him the state unit president’s position in the state. However, he has a competitor in the state in Shashi Tharoor (Congress Working Committee member), who is popular among the masses and also has acceptance within the cadre.”
According to senior leaders, Venugopal’s easy access to Rahul Gandhi would give him leverage to choose the plum post for himself. Although a section of leaders in the grand old party believe the Congress cannot rely on K.C. Venugopal for organisational quick fixes in Kerala as he has not been very good in administrative matters. However, his supporters are of the view that Venugopal could be a better choice as he would get much autonomy to work directly under the instructions of Rahul Gandhi.
Leaders opposing Venugopal say, “The failures faced by the Congress are because of Venugopal. He has limited understanding of Kerala’s ground politics and is not liked much by the cadre. There could be resistance from a section within the cadre. Although right now, people in the party accept him because of his high position in the party.”
Political pundits are of the view that the Congress-led I.N.D.I. Alliance has failed to build political momentum ahead of the general elections. Party leaders seem to be fatigued after the loss in the three Assembly elections of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. There is an emerging sentiment, among leaders, of contemplating on a post-election scenario in case the Opposition fails to defeat the incumbent BJP.
In 2021 assembly elections, Left Democratic Front led by CPI (Marxist) had won 99 seats out of the 140. Congress had won 21 seats. The upcoming elections are scheduled for 2025. A party insider said, “There is anti-incumbency against the current leftist regime and Congress is in a right position to tap the anti-incumbency vote. In the last Lok Sabha elections, we had won 15 seats out of 20. That shows how much acceptance we have in the state. Congress will certainly have an edge in the next year’s Assembly elections.”