THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Will Sunny Joseph, who has been named the new president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) can lead the Congress to power in the 2026 Assembly elections?
That is the million dollar question doing the rounds in the State’s political corridors. Congress leaders say the answer to that question is in the affirmative. But observers of the Congress scene in Kerala tend to differ. They agree, however, that Sunny has his task cut out. The odds are heavy, and the task daunting.
The manner in which his appointment has been made also does not inspire much confidence. It was after much fretting and fuming and humming and hawing that the job went to Sunny Joseph, a protégé of the outgoing KPCC chief K. Sudhakaran, MP.
Incidentally, it is after 21 years that a Christian leader has become the president of the Congress in Kerala. The last Christian to hold the post was P. P. Thankachan in 2004.
The immediate task before Sunny Joseph is to woo back the section of Christian voters who have deserted the Congress. And the task is easier said than done. To step into the shoes of a leader of the stature and calibre of the late Oommen Chandy, who was the most prominent and popular leader from Central Travancore Is extremely tough. But he has to attempt it if the UDF is to regain lost ground in central Travancore, which holds the key to the winner in the battle for power in the State. No wonder, Joseph visited the St. George Orthodox Church in Puthuppally, where he offered prayers at the tomb of Oommen Chandy.
The party high command hopes that Joseph, who enjoys good rapport with various Christian churches will be able to win back the trust of the alienated voters in central Travancore. The first test for Joseph is the local bodies elections just months away.
Interestingly, the outgoing KPCC boss K. Sudhakaran is not all that unhappy about being stripped of the post. The reason: Sunny Joseph is his protege. It was Sudhakaran who groomed Joseph in the crucible of Kannur, a CPI(M) stronghold, where the Congress under Sudhakaran’s leadership managed to make its presence felt. It will not be easy for Sunny to ignore the wishes and commands of Sudhakaran in the days to come. Sudhakaran, it needs to be mentioned, is no pushover. He has a big following in the party. Cynics say Sudhakaran outside is more dangerous than Sudhakaran the KPCC chief. In other words, Sunny Joseph will have to tread carefully and ensure that he does not rub Sudhakaran the wrong way.
Conversely, the appointment of Sunny Joseph constitutes a big setback for leader of the opposition V. D. Satheesan, who had tried his level best to have Anto Antony, MP, as the new KPCC president. But Sudhakaran strongly opposed Anto, forcing the high command to settle for Joseph. That Satheesan was upset was clear from his body language at the meeting where Sunny’s appointment was announced.
The new KPCC chief will also have to placate the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) boss Vellappally Natesan, who is angry over the removal of Sudhakaran from the top party post in Kerala. But the presence of another prominent Ezhava leader, Adoor Prakash, who has become the new convener of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDFP) may mollify Vellappally to some extent.
It is a known fact that the Congress’s chances of ousting the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front(LDF) from power will depend, to a great extent, on the number of seats it wins from Travancore region. At present the UDF holds only six out of the 21 seats in the region, with the Congress accounting for only Muvattupuzha, Puthuppally and Kottayam. (IPA Service)
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