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Published Feb 14, 2025 | 2:55 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 14, 2025 | 2:55 PM
The political brilliance of CPIM behind P.C. Chacko's resignation.
In politics, loyalty shift like the tides. The NCP (SP) in Kerala is no exception to shifting loyalties.
The sudden resignation of PC Chacko from the party’s state presidentship surprised political Kerala, except the NCP (SP).
Now, Kuttanad MLA Thomas K Thomas has entered the stage, declaring that he is willing to take over the party’s leadership, if instructed. Expressing surprise over Chacko’s abrupt exit, Thomas also criticised the former chief for neither consulting party members nor suggesting a successor before stepping down.
Meanwhile, senior party leader and Forest Minister AK Saseendran has officially recommended Thomas for the top party post. He wrote to Sharad Pawar recommending Thomas as the state president.
With the final decision pending, a crucial question looms: What led to this internal churn in the NCP (SP), an LDF constituent?
On 5 February, a video of a physical altercation between two factions of the NCP(SP) in the Thiruvananthapuram district committee went viral on social media. The conflict erupted when the newly elected district president, Satheesh Kumar, appointed by Chacko, arrived at the party office.
However, former district president Attukal Aji, who belongs to the anti-Chacko faction, refused to step down.
The tension had been brewing since 29 January, when Aji accused Chacko of accepting a bribe for a PSC appointment and demanded a vigilance inquiry. In response, the Thiruvananthapuram district committee passed a resolution, demanding Chacko’s resignation.
Unlike previous instances, Chacko did not receive significant backing from the CPI(M) leadership this time.
MLA Thomas was the first to initiate the power struggle. He wanted to replace Saseendran as the minister. It might look strange to see an MLA wielding such an influence to demand the resignation of a senior leader like Saseendran and push for a power-sharing agreement after 2.5 years in governance.
This was not unprecedented. Earlier, Thomas’s late brother and MLA Thomas Chandy, had also clashed with Saseendran over a similar ministerial arrangement. After Chandy’s passing in 2019, his younger brother adopted the same strategy.
Initially, Chacko backed Saseendran but later shifted his support to Thomas. Chacko lobbied for Thomas by reaching out to both Sharad Pawar and Prakash Karat. However, in Kerala, it was Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s decision that ultimately prevailed.
Vijayan was satisfied with Saseendran’s performance and stood by him.
“This is a ploy to prevent my entry into the cabinet. I will be made minister after the by-elections,” Thomas said about the North Indian model horse-trading allegation, asserting that he was certain of becoming a minister after the bypolls held two months ago.
Amid the tussle for a ministerial post, Thomas was accused of offering ₹50 crore each to MLAs Antony Raju and Kovoor Kunjumon to join the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP.
While Raju confirmed the claim, Thomas and Kunjumon denied it. Thomas called it a bid to block his cabinet entry, while NCP questioned the logic behind such an expensive move with elections nearing.
Reports suggested that Vijayan had flagged the issue earlier, but no probe was initiated. But later, the horse-trading allegation gradually faded away, positioning itself much like Ajit Pawar in the NDA.
Chacko’s speech against Vijayan, which was made behind closed doors during an LDF meeting in Thiruvananthapuram, was allegedly leaked by Attukal Aji. In his speech, Chacko reportedly warned that the NCP might exit the LDF if the chief minister refused to drop Saseendran from the Cabinet.
However, the threat played into Saseendran’s hands. He responded by boycotting the party’s general body meeting. Simultaneously, Saseendran is said to have secretly aligned with Thomas, a move Chacko was completely unaware of, despite having strongly recommended Thomas for key positions.
Realising that his open defiance of Vijayan would make it impossible for him to continue in the NCP, particularly when the party holds the crucial forest ministry portfolio, Chacko stepped down as the Kerala unit chief.
Nevertheless, he continues to serve as the NCP’s national working committee president. Notably, in 2023, Sharad Pawar removed Thomas from the party’s working committee, citing “serious indiscipline.”
While Chacko still maintains a rapport with Pawar, his influence in Kerala politics seems to be waning. This raises a crucial question: Is a ghar wapsi on the horizon? Will the Congress welcome back its former KPCC secretary?
