K Sudhakaran open to continuing or stepping down as KPCC president; Kharge and Rahul to take final decision

NEW DELHI: K. Sudhakaran has informed the Congress high command that he is willing to continue as KPCC President until the Assembly elections. On Friday, Sudhakaran met with Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi to discuss the matter. The final decision on whether he should be replaced as KPCC President rests with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

After returning from Delhi, Sudhakaran told the media in Kannur that he is not willing to step down from the post. “If they ask me to continue, I will. If they ask me to step down, I will obey. It is the high command's responsibility to evaluate my performance,” he said. He also clarified that the high command will make a decision with trust in him and that no alternative names have been proposed.

A faction within the party is reportedly pushing for Pathanamthitta MP Anto Antony to take over. Some leaders believe that a change in KPCC leadership is necessary for the party reorganisation to have the desired impact. It was in this context that Sudhakaran met with the high command. Rahul Gandhi is also said to have received complaints about the current state of confusion within the party.

If a new KPCC President is appointed, Sudhakaran may be given a special invitee position in the Congress Working Committee. Names like Anto Antony and Sunny Joseph are under consideration for the KPCC leadership. There are also indications that Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi supports Anto Antony.

However, senior leader K. Muraleedharan made a veiled statement against Anto Antony, saying the KPCC President should be someone whom party workers recognise immediately from a photo. He also stated that the KPCC leadership should not be changed in the run-up to the local body elections. MP Shashi Tharoor expressed similar views, remarking that Sudhakaran is a leader who has led the party to victory in multiple elections.