New Delhi: With Assembly elections in Kerala approaching, senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and Shashi Tharoor have been appointed chairman and co-chairman, respectively, of the party’s campaign committee. The party on Thursday also formed two key panels for the upcoming state polls.
The appointment of Tharoor, who represents Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, assumes importance as it comes days after he met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, amid reports of rift between him and party leadership.
Following the meeting that apparently focused on redressal of his grievances, Tharoor said “all is good” and “we are all on the same page.” Since then, Tharoor has been seen speaking vocally for the Congress, and also initiated the discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha.
In a statement, the Congress party said that Kharge has approved the proposal for the constitution of the campaign committee and the manifesto committee of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee for the upcoming Assembly elections.
While Chennithala has been named the chairman of the campaign committee, Tharoor has been appointed its co-chairman. Congress MP Shafi Parambil has been named the convener of the campaign committee with Hibi Eden, Roji M John, CR Mahesh, Mathew Kuzhalnadan, Ramya Haridas, M Liju and Deepthi Mary Varghese as members.
Congress MP Benny Behanan has been appointed the chairman of the manifesto committee, while the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha Kodikkunnil Suresh will be its co-chairman. The manifesto committee will have Dean Kuriakose and Jebi Mather as members.
Following his meeting with Kharge and Gandhi earlier this month, Tharoor, who was said to be miffed with the party’s leadership, said that he was very satisfied with his meeting with the top Congress brass.
Tharoor was said to be upset with the party leadership for allegedly being sidelined by some leaders at a Kochi event recently in Kerala. However, after the meeting, his grievances appear to have been addressed and he is expected to
play a significant role in the party’s campaigning for the Kerala polls.
In the upcoming polls, the Congress is seeking to unseat the Left after 10 years in the Opposition and the party is going all out to secure a victory in the southern State. Assembly elections in Kerala are expected to be held in April-May.