<p>Kerala recently witnessed a prominent regional party, the Kerala Congress (M), facing major setbacks including a split and defeat in by-election owing to the power tussle between the party founder-leader’s son and veteran leaders</p>.<p>Now, another regional party in Kerala — the Kerala Congress (Jacob) — is going through a similar turmoil.</p>.<p>Factions in the KC(J) led by party founder-leader T M Jacob’s son Anoop Jacob and current party chairman and veteran leader Johnny Nellore have parted ways.</p>.<p>With both the parties being constituents of the Congress-led UDF, grand old party’s leadership in Kerala is more worried about the in-fights in the regional parties.</p>.<p>The Kerala Congress (M) lost the Pala Assembly seat, which was held by party founder K M Mani for 54 years till his death last year, in the recent by-elections there owing to the in-fights.</p>.<p>The Congress, which sits in the Opposition benches of the Kerala Assembly, is concerned that the in-fights in the coalition parties would cast a shadow over its prospects in another ensuing Assembly bypoll to the Kuttanad seat in Alappuzha district.</p>.<p>Congress senior leader and former chief minister Oommen Chandy said that attempts were being made to sort out the differences and ensure that all Kerala Congress factions stood united.</p>.<p><strong>Reason for tussle</strong></p>.<p>While the split in KC (M) was between K M Mani’s son Jose K Mani, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, and veteran leader P J Joseph over the party chairman’s post; the ongoing tussle in<br />KC (J) is due to differences over the decision to merge the party with another regional one.</p>.<p>While the Nellore faction wanted to merge with the KC (M), the faction led by P J Joseph and Jacob’s son Anoop was opposed to it.</p>.<p>Nellore alleged that Anoop, who became a minister in Kerala after his father’s death in 2011, did not favour the merger as the latter feared that he would not get any plump post.</p>.<p>In both KC (M) and KC (J), a large section of party leaders and workers are unhappy with sons of founder-leaders emerging as top leaders bypassing seniority and contributions made by other seniors— a section of the KC(M) had even left the party earlier citing this as the reason.</p>
<p>Kerala recently witnessed a prominent regional party, the Kerala Congress (M), facing major setbacks including a split and defeat in by-election owing to the power tussle between the party founder-leader’s son and veteran leaders</p>.<p>Now, another regional party in Kerala — the Kerala Congress (Jacob) — is going through a similar turmoil.</p>.<p>Factions in the KC(J) led by party founder-leader T M Jacob’s son Anoop Jacob and current party chairman and veteran leader Johnny Nellore have parted ways.</p>.<p>With both the parties being constituents of the Congress-led UDF, grand old party’s leadership in Kerala is more worried about the in-fights in the regional parties.</p>.<p>The Kerala Congress (M) lost the Pala Assembly seat, which was held by party founder K M Mani for 54 years till his death last year, in the recent by-elections there owing to the in-fights.</p>.<p>The Congress, which sits in the Opposition benches of the Kerala Assembly, is concerned that the in-fights in the coalition parties would cast a shadow over its prospects in another ensuing Assembly bypoll to the Kuttanad seat in Alappuzha district.</p>.<p>Congress senior leader and former chief minister Oommen Chandy said that attempts were being made to sort out the differences and ensure that all Kerala Congress factions stood united.</p>.<p><strong>Reason for tussle</strong></p>.<p>While the split in KC (M) was between K M Mani’s son Jose K Mani, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, and veteran leader P J Joseph over the party chairman’s post; the ongoing tussle in<br />KC (J) is due to differences over the decision to merge the party with another regional one.</p>.<p>While the Nellore faction wanted to merge with the KC (M), the faction led by P J Joseph and Jacob’s son Anoop was opposed to it.</p>.<p>Nellore alleged that Anoop, who became a minister in Kerala after his father’s death in 2011, did not favour the merger as the latter feared that he would not get any plump post.</p>.<p>In both KC (M) and KC (J), a large section of party leaders and workers are unhappy with sons of founder-leaders emerging as top leaders bypassing seniority and contributions made by other seniors— a section of the KC(M) had even left the party earlier citing this as the reason.</p>
