With the Kerala Youth Congress elections round the corner, the bitter rivalry between state party president Ramesh Chennithala and leader of Opposition and former chief minister Oomen Chandy has come to the fore. According to sources, Thiruvananthapuram's beleaguered Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor has extended his support to Chandy, who has stood by the former minister of state for external affairs though the present IPL crisis.
With the Congress still pruning its final list of candidates and the Kerala Congress - Mani and the Socialist Janata Dal sulking over seat sharing arrangements, the United Democratic Front is yet to finalise its list of candidates."There are several issues in the Congress party and the party is now reduced to a pocket organisation of Oomen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala.These two leaders have become so powerful that nobody can challenge them" said a source.
The stage is set for the re-entry of K Muraleedharan, son of veteran leader late K Karunakaran, to the Congress as the state leadership is planning to formally appeal to party president Sonia Gandhi to take him back. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala on Friday said he and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will meet Gandhi early in February to request the re-admission of Muraleedharan, who broke ranks with the parent body six years ago.
'Can you believe Ashok Chavan was with me in the senior leaders' meeting one day, and next day morning, he switched sides!'
Congress general secretary and party youth icon Rahul Gandhi kick started the United Democratic Front election campaign by addressing the Kerala Raksha march conducted by the state party president Ramesh Chennithala. In his speech, he called upon senior party leaders to start a package for Keralites who are suffering after the global crisis hit the Gulf region which has led to several people from the state returning home.
Police have launched a probe into the killing of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique from different angles, including a possible contract killing, business rivalry or threat over a slum rehabilitation project, officials said on Sunday.
'Kerala may have the worst physical infrastructure -- potholed roads to overflowing drains -- of the four major southern states, but does anybody care? Given all this you may think Kerala's voters lack any options come Election Day. That would be a mistake.'
The Congress has appointed observers to coordinate meetings of its legislature party in four states where assembly election results will be declared on Sunday.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala and Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy discussed in detail various aspects of the former chief minister's return to the party when they met Sonia in New Delhi on Thursday morning.
The statement by the Communist Party of India man in the CPI(M)-led ministry has spurred widespread criticism against the V S Achuthanandan government.
Meanwhile, the Congress' data analytics department chairperson Praveen Chakravarty on Tuesday wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, seeking assembly-wise voter rolls in excel sheet format for the Lok Sabha elections and the assembly polls in Maharashtra.
While Muraleedharan said his party would actively work for UDF's victory, Chennitala said he was happy that all Congressmen were reuniting under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi.
The war of words over the SNC Lavalin case is continuing in the political landscape of Kerala with the two prominent political leaders in the state out in the streets as part of their state wide yatras.
The massive victory of Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti in Maharashtra indicates a tactical course correction post the Lok Sabha debacle, with factors like Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's active role in the poll campaign, Ladki Bahin scheme, rise in women voting, and subtle message of Hindutva playing a crucial role.
Senior IUML leader MK Muneer said the radical outfit had misinterpreted the Quran and persuaded the community members to adopt the path of violence.
While the CPI-M in a statement after the secretariat on Friday maintained that Balakrishnan, who is also a Polit Bureau member, had sought leave for further treatment which had been accepted, the leader of opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala dubbed the move as a delayed dawning of wisdom.
A welfare fund meant for the Indian workers in the Gulf countries is in the advanced stage of finalisation, Minister of State for External Affairs Digvijay Singh said.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Patole asserted there are no disagreements within the MVA, adding that discussions on seat-sharing were underway and would conclude soon.
Sule said the intra-family duel in the Lok Sabha polls will not waver her respect for Sunetra Pawar as she is her "elder brother's wife and like a mother".
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan termed it as a routine transfer.
'Both the CPM and the BJP have one agenda, and that is to keep the Congress out.' 'That's why they are coming together.'
Veteran Communist leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala, V S Achuthanandan turned 98 on Wednesday.
Oommen Chandy said the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee has requested Gandhi to contest from Wayanad but he has not commented on the proposal.
Hit by the "bar bribe controversy", the Congress-led United Democratic Front government in Kerala on Sunday announced a vigilance probe into the allegation by bar owners that state Finance Minister and Kerala Congress (M) supremo K M Mani had demanded a hefty sum for favourable decisions.
'Money power was deployed like an army in a war.' 'None of the MVA parties had that kind of money.'
The 'kiss of love' protest held in Kochi on Sunday has sparked a spat between Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Pinarayi Vijayan and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala over the handling of the situation by the police.
A construction firm in Kerala had filed the civil suit recently over alleged non-payment of dues to the tune of Rs 2.8 crore in the construction of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Development Studies complex by KPCC at Neyyar.
The accused, a junior health inspector at a primary health centre, was arrested on Monday and a case under Indian Penal Code Section 376 (rape) registered against him, police said.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would accompany him to Wayanad.
Moving the resolution, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the Centre should re-examine its decision and the operation and management of the airportbe handed over to the Special Purpose Vehicle in which the state government has stake.
The state asked the PMO to accommodate three more dignitaries, including DMRC Principal Advisor E Sreedharan.
Beedi tycoon Muhammed Nisham has been convicted for killing a security guard by beating him and ramming his Hummer SUV into him
In the coming assembly election, negotiations over seat-sharing will be as important as actual outreach to voters.
Kerala home minister says those who had been in the front of 'Kiss of Love' protest are among the key accused in the case.
Ten tourists were killed and 32 injured when the driver of the luxury bus in which they were travelling lost control after hitting a divider on a four-lane road near Panangudi in Tirunelveli district in the wee hours of Friday.
A top Maoist leader, wanted in at least 20 cases in Kerala, his wife and three others, were arrested on Monday night near Coimbatore in a "big breakthrough" for the police of four southern states.
The priority in ticket distribution will be given to youth, women, and those with a clean image, he said.
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the assemble elections results were "a setback".
Vijayan, who filed his nomination on Monday, submitted he has immovable assets worth Rs 51.95 lakh, including two plots with a house. He has movable assets valued at Rs 2.04 lakh including Rs 78,048.51 in his bank account in the SBI, Thalassery Branch, 1000 shares worth Rs 10,000 in Malayalam Communication Ltd and shares worth Rs one lakh at KIAL. According to the affidavit, his total income is shown as Rs 2,87,860 for 2020-21.
India national team and Bengaluru FC footballer, CK Vineeth was given the pink slip by Kerala Accountant General for lack of attendance
