Resignations haunt the Congress party in Thrissur again. Soon after Kuriachira councilor Nimmi Rappai left the party, two other leaders followed and deepened the unrest.
Those who resigned on Saturday are East Mandalam president George Chandy and Ollur block secretary and former councilor Shomy Francis. Another leader, DCC general secretary Ravi Thanikkal has resigned from all party posts, though he remains a member of the party.
Mr Chandy, a former councilor of the society, has announced that he will contest as an independent from the Mission Quarters division. He accused the party of fielding Baija Varghese, whom he described as someone “who was working against the Congress”. Mr. Chandy is the son of veteran Congress leader and former councilor Josy Chandy. Mission Quarters has long been considered a Congress stronghold. The departure of a key leader from this division added to the party’s worries.
Charge
Mr Francis, meanwhile, will contest as an independent from Kuriachira division. He said he resigned in protest after the seat was allotted to Sajeevan Kuriachira, a close confidant of senior Congress leader K. Muraleedharan. Mr. Francis alleged that Mr. Kuriachira has been absent from the division for 15 years, adding that the party sidelined him and cheated him.
The UDF suffered another setback, barely hours after the release of the list of candidates, when Mr. Thanikkal resigned from all party posts. He also resigned as the mandalam bearer at the UDF level. Mr. Thanikkal said he left after being dropped from the shortlist at the last minute. He was originally considered for the Kuriachira Division, but his name was later dropped without explanation. Mr Thanikkal is the son of former Irinjalakuda MLA Jose Thanikkal.
Earlier, councilor Ms. Rappai had resigned after she was denied a Congress ticket for local body elections. She said that she would join the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and contest from Ollur division on the NCP ticket.
With several exits, the Congress in Thrissur now faces a growing insurgency and the prospect of a fragmented vote in several key divisions.
Published – 15 Nov 2025 20:07 IST
