History weighs on Congress in Kerala as it searches for next party chief

Rahul Gandhi needs to stop imitating the worst traits of the BJP and copy the best ones. The worst traits include deploying venomous, vicious trolls on social media and creating a cult around the ‘dear Leader.’

4 min readThiruvananthapuramJul 2, 2026 07:49 PM IST

First published on: Jul 2, 2026 at 07:47 PM IST

The Congress in Kerala is headed for a fresh round of lobbying among senior leaders, with the party high command expected to begin deliberations on the appointment of the next Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president. On the organisational front, the Congress has been without a leader at the helm since incumbent PCC president Sunny Joseph openly stated his intention to step down after being inducted into the cabinet.

Congress sources said discussions were expected to begin next week after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi returns from abroad. “As the party-led government is facing protest from within the Congress as well as the Opposition over policy matters and appointments, there is no leadership to guide the government. After the government came into power, the PCC political affairs committee had met only once,” said party insiders.

Congress sources said several leaders were in the race for the top post. Among the front-runners are MPs Kodikkunnil Suresh, Anto Antony, Benny Behanan, Shafi Parambil, and MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan. Former MLA Joseph Vazhakkan is also in the running with the backing of Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala.

Sources said Suresh, who served as the working president for eight years, is mainly banking on his long innings and the status of one of the senior-most Dalit leaders in the party. The PCC has never elected a Dalit leader as president.

If the Nair leaders in Congress — V D Satheesan, K C Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala — battled it out for the post of CM after the Assembly elections, it is the turn of Christian leaders to fight for the post of PCC. The incumbent president, Sunny Joseph, was appointed state Congress president in May 2025 after the Congress wanted a Christian leader in its state leadership, a move aimed at bridging with the Christian community that had drifted away from the party. Sunny had then succeeded party MP K Sudhakaran, who was made PCC president in 2021 after the Congress lost the Assembly elections back then. The Christian contenders rely upon the Congress tradition of community balancing right from the days of former CMs K Karunakaran and A K Antony.

Congress sources said the stand of AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal would be crucial in deciding the next PCC president. “Chief Minister Satheesan is looking for a PCC president who will work in sync with the government. His views will be sought while looking for the next candidate,’’ said a source.

What happened in 2011-16

During the previous Congress regime from 2011 to 2016, then CM Oommen Chandy had strained relations with Ramesh Chennithala and V M Sudheeran who had served as state Congress presidents. Chennithala had then openly questioned Chandy over not consulting the party on several key policy matters and decisions. The stand of Sudheeran, who had served as PCC president from 2014 to 2016, against the liquor policy had contributed to the bar bribery scandal, which contributed to the defeat of the Congress in 2016. The history of the state Congress president and the Chief Minister pulling in different directions will likely make Satheesan more cautious about the choice for next PCC president.

A section of Congress leaders is already critical of the style of functioning of Satheesan as the CM. On the liquor tax row, Sudheeran has openly come out against the government for not consulting the party. As the controversy escalated, Satheesan stated that the UDF as well as the Congress would take a call on the policy. Many appointments made by the new government have already drawn flak from the party, with leaders airing their dissent before the media.