Congress appoints Ramesh Chennithala chairman, Shashi Tharoor co-chairman of campaign committee for Kerala polls

New Delhi: Congress on Thursday appointed senior leader Ramesh Chennithala as the Chairman and multiple-time MP Shashi Tharoor as co-chair of party’s campaign committee in poll-bound Kerala while veteran MP Benny Behenan is assigned to head the manifesto panel.

Inclusion of Tharoor is seen as significant, as it signals party’s inclination to use his popularity in wooing voters in the state where the party has lost two consecutive Assembly elections and has been out of power for the past ten years.

Tharoor has been at loggerheads with the central and state leadership for years but the ice was broken in the recent months with top leadership reaching out to him and addressing his concerns. Kerala leaders have also assured him that he will be consulted in state party matters.

With the party not projecting any particular leader as Chief Ministerial face and fighting the polls under “collective leadership”, the latest announcement on campaign and manifesto panels are seen as an attempt to project a mix of experience and youth.

In the ten member committee, six of them – Shafi Parambil (Convenor), Hibi Eden, Roji M John, CR Mahesh, Mathew Kuzhalnadan and Ramya Haridas –are below 50 years while two – M Liju and Deepthy Mary Varghese – are in their early fifties. 

Only Chennithala, a former Home Minister and Leader of Opposition, and Tharoor are in their late 60s. The assignment for Chennithala, who is a Permanent Invitee to the Congress Working Committee and in-charge of Maharashtra, is seen as giving him a prominent role in election affairs.

Chalakudy MP Behanan will head the manifesto panel in which Congress Lok Sabha Chief Whip Kodikkunnil Suresh is the co-chair. The two other members Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose and Rajya Sabha MP Jebi Mather are in their 40s.