After LoP Rahul Gandhi returns from overseas next week, talks are anticipated to start.
The Congress in Kerala is headed for a fresh round of lobbying among senior politicians, with the party high command expected to begin negotiations on the selection of the next Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president. Since incumbent PCC president Sunny Joseph publicly declared his decision to resign after being appointed to the government, the Congress has been without an organisational leader.
Discussions are anticipated to start next week with the return of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi from overseas, according to Congress officials. “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. Party insiders said that the PCC political affairs committee had only convened once since the administration took office.
Congress sources claimed numerous leaders were in the race for the top seat. 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 contest with the endorsement of Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala.
Sources said Suresh, who served as the working president for eight years, is mainly banking on his lengthy innings and the stature of one of the senior-most Dalit leaders in the party. A Dalit leader has never been elected president of the PCC.
After the Assembly elections, Christian leaders will compete for the position of PCC, just as the Nair leaders in Congress, V D Satheesan, K C Venugopal, and Ramesh Chennithala, did. In an effort to strengthen ties with the Christian population that had strayed away from the party, the Congress sought a Christian leader for its state leadership, and Sunny Joseph, the current president, was appointed state Congress president in May 2025. After the Congress lost the Assembly elections in 2021, Sunny succeeded party MP K Sudhakaran, who was appointed PCC president.
According to Congress sources, the position of AICC general secretary (organization) K C Venugopal will be important in selecting the new president of the PCC. “Chief Minister Satheesan is seeking a PCC president who will cooperate with the administration. While searching for the next candidate, his opinions will be asked, according to a source.
