'Congress Socialist Party' to become official in Kochi today

KOCHI: A faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Kerala—formerly split into three—is set to merge with Congress (S). Following the merger, the group will adopt the name 'Congress Socialist Party' (CSP), and the identity of Congress (S) will cease to exist. This merger is taking place with the backing of the CPM.

The faction led by P.C. Chacko will henceforth be the only remaining representative of NCP in Kerala.

The faction led by N.A. Muhammed Kutty merged with the Forward Bloc and joined the UDF last month. In August, following disagreements with P.C. Chacko, former Minister A.K. Saseendran and former MLA Thomas K. Thomas formed the NCP (S). The faction led by P.C. Chacko adopted the name NCP (SP). The A.K. Saseendran faction is merging with the Congress (S).

A merger convention will be held today at 11:00 AM at Rajendra Maidan in Ernakulam. Ramachandran Kadannappalli will hoist the flag, and A.K. Saseendran, Thomas K. Thomas, and others will deliver speeches. Organising Committee Chairman Anil Kanjily and Convener T.P. Abdul Azeez stated that a procession will take place tomorrow at 3:00 PM, starting from Marine Drive and concluding with a public meeting at Rajendra Maidan.

The NCP split into three factions over opposition to national president Sharad Pawar's stance. A.K. Saseendran and Thomas K. Thomas—who had a falling out with P.C. Chacko—severed ties with the national leadership and formed the NCP (S). The Saseendran faction said they have the backing of 12 district presidents, along with the majority of state and district-level leaders.

The fact that the NCP leaders were previously part of the Congress (S) made the merger easier. The leaders said their decision to return was driven by their disagreement with Sharad Pawar—whom they alleged had gotten soft on BJP—and P.C. Chacko, who purportedly showed authoritarian tendencies.