Kerala Congress in Turmoil: Leaders Oppose Youth Congress Appointment, Power Struggle Intensifies

Kottayam/Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress in Kerala is facing intense internal turbulence following the state reorganization of the Youth Congress, with growing tensions over the appointment of the new state president. Senior leader Chandy Oommen has openly expressed concern that party colleague Abin Varkey, who has risen through the grassroots ranks, was not adequately considered for the role. “Abin is someone who has struggled a lot and deserves serious consideration. It was necessary to seek his opinion before the party made a decision,” Chandy Oommen said, signaling frustration with the leadership’s handling of the process.
Chandy Oommen, MLA from Puthuppally and son of late Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, emphasized that while disappointment is natural, all members must abide by the party’s decisions. “Everyone is bound to accept the party’s decision, whether they like it or not. Abin too has to accept it as the party’s decision,” he said. He stressed that the Youth Congress leadership should have factored in the efforts of leaders like Abin, who have worked extensively at the ground level.
Highlighting that this is not an isolated case, Chandy Oommen recalled that last year he himself was removed from the post of Chairman of the Youth Congress National Outreach Cell without any consultation, on the very day of his father’s memorial. “They did not even ask me a single question. If they had, I would have resigned on my own. I was removed in a humiliating manner,” he said, drawing a clear parallel with the current situation involving Abin Varkey.
Abin Varkey, who has now been appointed secretary of the All India Youth Congress committee, has publicly expressed his displeasure over the role, stating that he would prefer to focus on work in Kerala. He suggested that the party might reconsider its decision and also sought clarification on whether communal considerations influenced the leadership’s choice to overlook him for the state president’s post.
Several senior leaders from the Congress’s ‘I’ faction, including Ramesh Chennithala and Hibi Eden, had supported Abin Varkey for the Youth Congress post, while others, including KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, opposed him.