Why Chacko Quitting May Have No Effect on Kerala Polls

Senior leader P C Chacko’s resignation over “lack of democracy in the party” has come as a shock to the Congress’ Kerala unit. Chacko made the announcement on Wednesday in Delhi.

Calling it quits, Chacko said that it has become difficult to be a Congressman without being in one of the “groups”, alleging that the list of the candidates for Kerala assembly elections was not discussed in the party’s poll committee.

“The other day in the election committee meeting, he spoke well and gave several good suggestions to improve our chances. We did not get any hint or information that he will be resigning,” said a Congress leader.

Another leader said that his resignation at the time of elections will have a psychological impact, but on the ground, it will not much of an effect. “Chacko does not have much root or connection with the ground-level workers,” he added.

“Chacko, who has now accused Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala, of group politics, was himself a group politics person earlier,” said another party member.

The Kerala Congress leaders believe that once their candidate list is out all this will die down as the congress will have a lot of young faces this time in their list.

Meanwhile, Chacko has denied any possibility of joining the BJP.

Chacko is also a member of the Jacobite community and the saffron party is eyeing their votes. Sources within the party say that the 74-year-old leader was interested in contesting from the Chalakudy constituency for the assembly elections, but that was not considered.

Meanwhile, A Vijayaraghavan, CPIM State secretary-in-charge, said, “The resignation of Chacko, a prominent Congress leader in Kerala is an important political event. This is the starting of the disintegration process of the Congress in Kerala. Earlier, it started when Kerala Congress-M distanced from the UDF and joined the LDF. This is proof that Congress is not able to prevent the right-wing Hindutva forces and the BJP in the country. The left democratic forces are the only alternative block of Hindutva forces and BJP at the Centre.”