New CWC: Ramesh Chennithala gets only foot in the door, squeezed out further in Kerala Cong

Confirming Chennithala’s disappointment over not getting CWC membership, a source close to him said: “However, he will not make public his displeasure over the neglect by the party at this juncture, when a by-election is slated for September 5 in the Puthuppally Assembly segment.”

What has compounded Chennithala’s disgruntlement is that the new CWC accommodates K C Venugopal and Shashi Tharoor from Kerala, signifying the rise of the two leaders in the party.

In the Congress, Chennithala and Oommen Chandy, whose demise necessitated the Puthuppally bypoll, were considered heads of two rival groups, earlier led by the late K Karunakaran and A K Antony, respectively. Chandy had been CWC member, and Chennithala expected that he would also be similarly accommodated in the body.

Chennithala’s exclusion follows the steady rise of Venugopal who, apart from being AICC general secretary in-charge of organisational matters, is considered one of Rahul Gandhi’s closest aides.

Losing ground

Chennithala, on the other hand, has been losing ground. After the rout of the Congress in the 2021 Assembly elections, in which the LDF returned to power, breaking Kerala’s tradition of voting in an alternative government every five years, Chennithala was removed as Leader of the Opposition. He was replaced by a loyalist, though one seen as much junior to him, V D Satheesan.

Since then, while Chennithala has not held any formal role in the party, other than being a legislator, Satheesan has consolidated his position, as has K Sudhakaran as Kerala Congress president, with the latter two emerging as new power centres in state politics. Many Chennithala loyalists and second-rung leaders have switched loyalties to the new team.

Tharoor’s turn towards state politics since last year has also been to Chennithala’s disadvantage. The suave leader and former diplomat, once seen as more at home in Delhi power corridors, has been on an outreach programme across Kerala and has emerged as a favourite of the upper caste Hindu Nair community outfit Nair Service Society (NSS), which had once batted for Chennithala.

Tharoor has gained further acceptance with his bid for party national presidentship, which is seen to have cleared the way for his inclusion in the CWC.

Sources said the caste equations in the Congress in Kerala have also worked against Chennithala. Like him, Venugopal, Tharoor as well as Satheesan belong to the Nair community, erasing his importance for the community in recent years.

However, party leaders admitted that it was too early to write off Chennithala, and that he still remains a strong contender for parliamentary leadership of the party. Credited for putting up a vehement fight against the Pinarayi Vijayan government as Leader of the Opposition, he remains one of the party’s main bulwarks against the LDF.