Thiruvananthapuram, May 11 – Sunny Joseph, the newly appointed president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), is set to take charge on Monday. The official handover ceremony will take place at the KPCC headquarters, with the outgoing president, K Sudhakaran, formally passing on the baton to Joseph.
The event will also see the appointment of several key party leaders in their new roles. P C Vishnunath MLA, Shafi Parambil MP, and A P Anil Kumar MLA will assume office as working presidents, while Adoor Prakash MP will take over as the United Democratic Front (UDF) convenor.
Paying Tributes to Party Veterans
Ahead of the ceremony, Sunny Joseph, accompanied by Vishnunath, Parambil, and Anil Kumar, visited the memorials of former Congress stalwarts and Chief Ministers K Karunakaran and Oommen Chandy. They paid floral tributes at the memorials, honoring their contributions to the party and the state.Joseph, representing the Peravoor Assembly seat in the Kerala Legislative Assembly, shared that his political journey began from the very place where Karunakaran's legacy continues to inspire him. Reflecting on his beginnings, Joseph stated that he would carry forward the ideals of the late Congress leaders as he steps into his new role.
Party Leadership Overhaul
The leadership reshuffle, which was announced on May 8 by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), brought an end to weeks of speculation surrounding the future of Congress leadership in Kerala. In a significant move, Sudhakaran, a three-time MLA, was replaced by Joseph. This change aims to strengthen the party ahead of the local body elections later this year and the crucial Assembly elections scheduled for mid-2026.While Sudhakaran expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision, the party high command's move was seen as a necessary step to introduce fresh leadership in the run-up to key elections. Despite his removal as KPCC president, Sudhakaran has been appointed a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), a gesture aimed at maintaining balance within the party's internal dynamics.
As the Kerala Congress gears up for future electoral challenges, the leadership overhaul signals the party's determination to rejuvenate its structure and enhance its position in the state's political landscape.