Delhi Confidential: Huddle, muddle

Leader of the Opposition in Kerala V D Satheesan is learnt to have complained that the newly appointed state chief Sunny Joseph was not holding consultations with everyone

Rahul Gandhi

Amid the electoral battle in Bihar, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi Tuesday went into a huddle with party leaders from Kerala, where local body polls are round the corner and Assembly elections are due early next year. But the meeting saw the factional feud in the state unit coming out in the open. Leader of the Opposition in Kerala V D Satheesan is learnt to have complained that the newly appointed state chief Sunny Joseph was not holding consultations with everyone. The KPCC leadership, on the other hand, said it was Satheesan who was not cooperating. Without mincing words, former KPCC president K Sudhakaran was of the view that ‘some leaders’ were responsible for friction in the state unit. Finally, Rahul is learnt to have sternly told the leaders to work together in view of the impending elections.

To SIR With Concern

Even as all Opposition parties are opposing the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls in 12 states, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has one added concern related to government officers who will oversee the exercise in Uttar Pradesh. The Akhilesh Yadav-led party on Tuesday sent a memorandum to the Chief Election Commissioner and UP’s Chief Electoral Officer, alleging that officers working as BLOs, ADMs and electoral registration officers (EROs) were of “BJP government mindset” belonging to a particular caste and religion. The party demanded to appoint officers from all castes and religions for the SIR exercise.