The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) will be a core committee that will replace other organizational panels, including an “oversized” Political Affairs Committee (PAC), for real-time collective decision-making to respond quickly to the needs of the election era and clearly signal unity of purpose and leadership to the rank and file.
Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan, who recently attended an All India Congress Committee (AICC)-level brainstorming session in Delhi, told The Hindu that the KPCC’s poll-era strategy of making the party a lean and mean election-fighting machine seems to be burdened by top-notch, clumsy, elephantine committees. “That is why the AICC approved the core leadership group,” he said.
committee members
Former United Democratic Front (UDF) convener MM Hassan, who attended the election strategy session chaired by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, said the proposed core committee would include the KPCC president, Leader of the Opposition, UDF convener, Congress Working Committee (CWC) members, invited CWC members from Kerala and past KPCC presidents.
“The KPCC will form similar top leadership groups at the district and assembly constituency levels to effectively manage the election campaign,” he added.
Former KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran said past PACs rarely exceeded 21 members. The recent reorganization of the KPCC has made various Congress committees into expansionist tents, he said.
‘momentum pull’
“The welcoming spirit of the KPCC has its unique advantages. However, oversized committees often prevent serious debate and effective decision-making, reduce the frequency of meetings, and make panels politically redundant. The party can now ill afford an internal drag on its organizational momentum,” he added.
A KPCC insider said the AICC emphasized the need for a core committee embodying the weight of the party’s collective leadership to mitigate possible factionalism and the threat of rebels in Kerala in local polls.
“The AICC is also pushing back against ‘self-defeating’ intra-party speculation about a potential Congress chief ministerial candidate. After being out of power for two consecutive terms, the AICC has prioritized Kerala, given the criticality of local polls and the 2026 assembly elections,” he said.
Branch committees
In addition, the main committee, he said, will play a key role in rebuilding “diminished or non-existent” ward committees in local body constituencies where the KPCC lacks boots on the ground – an estimated 20% to 25% of Kerala’s ward committees.
Congress sources noted that the KPCC formed a 15-member core committee in 2012 to replace the executive to ensure collective decision-making and reduce factionalism. They said AK Antony, Ramesh Chennithala (then KPCC president) and Vayalar Ravi were instrumental in forming the committee.
Published – 30 Oct 2025 21:01 IST
