Infighting within the Kerala unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) has led to P.C. Chacko stepping down as president of the party state unit.
Mr. Chacko is learnt to have submitted his resignation to Mr. Pawar on Tuesday, but has not informed his supporters about his resignation. While Mr. Chacko wanted to have A.K. Saseendran replaced by Thomas K. Thomas, Kuttanad MLA, as the party’s representative in the state Cabinet, this was reportedly not agreeable to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The factional feud came to a head in early February when Mr. Saseendran and his supporters boycotted the party’s state executive meeting. Mr. Chacko’s failure to convince his party’s national leadership and Mr. Vijayan of the credentials of Mr. Thomas, party leaders say, eroded his popularirty.
The faction standing with Mr. Saseendran, in the meantime, launched a signature campaign for the ouster of Mr. Chacko.
However, it remains unclear whether he will also relinquish his position as the national working president of the party.
Published - February 12, 2025 02:08 pm IST
