3 months ago
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The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) connected Tuesday (March 10, 2026) cracked the whip connected enactment leaders jumping the weapon connected campaigner enactment for the State Assembly elections.
In a terse statement, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said nationalist declarations of candidature and premature proclamations connected conjugation seat-sharing would invitation disciplinary action.
Mr. Joseph’s ultimatum assumed governmental value against the backdrop of erstwhile KPCC president K. Sudhakaran “declaring” his candidature from Kannur connected Monday, allegedly putting himself up of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), which is reportedly grappling with the vexed question of whether to let sitting MPs to contention successful the Assembly elections.
Mr. Sudhakaran had caused a disturbance by insisting that helium would contention from Kannur. “110%, I volition combat the Assembly elections from Kannur. Let the Central Election Screening Committee’s determination come,” helium had said.
Fears of factionalism
A Congress insider said the KPCC could sick spend to crook a unsighted oculus to premature declarations of candidacy, bypassing the party’s screening process.
He said the KPCC feared that specified explicit assertions risked opening a Pandora’s container of factionalism and one-upmanship, undermining efforts to contiguous a agreed look astatine the hustings and perchance rendering the enactment susceptible to extracurricular pressure, including from caste and spiritual lobbyists.
‘Poster war’ successful Thiruvananthapuram
KPCC sources said the intra-party ‘poster war’ implicit the Thiruvananthapuram Assembly spot had besides upset the enactment leadership, forcing Mr. Joseph to nip the “self-defeating organisational drift” successful the bud.
Several posters had appeared successful Thiruvananthapuram denouncing Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan’s alleged determination to springiness the spot to Communist Marxist Party (CMP) wide caput C.P. John, supposedly to sideline Congress person and erstwhile Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar. Both leaders person since denied immoderate relation successful the matter.
Mr. Joseph pointedly underscored that Congress campaigner enactment and conjugation seat-sharing were “the sole preserve” of the KPCC.
He said that prejudicing the process done suo-motu pronouncements of candidature oregon seat-sharing arrangements did not augur good for the party, and “did not befit leaders oregon provincial enactment units.”
Nevertheless, Mr. Joseph said leaders and enactment workers were “free to enactment their suggestions” connected the grounds successful enactment fora. “Leaders should not state their candidacy by passing the High Command, which makes the last call”, helium said.
Mr. Joseph besides warned against “meetings extracurricular the KPCC’s organisational ambit” connected issues concerning campaigner selection.
