PC Chacko resigns from Congress before Kerala elections; says it can't maintain democracy

In a big blow to Congress ahead of the Kerala Assembly polls, senior leader PC Chacko announced his exit from the grand old party on Wednesday. Addressing the press on Wednesday, PC Chacko called Congress a 'total failure' and revealed that he had submitted his resignation from all positions to party president Sonia Gandhi. PC Chacko was a former Congress MP in the Lok Sabha from the Thrissur constituency. 

Speaking to the press, PC Chacko alleged that candidates were not selected by Congress on the basis of winnability and claimed that only one or two persons were involved in the selection of candidates. The former Congress MP further claimed that the party was split into two factions in the state (A & I) and that he had asked the party's high command to protect those who didn't belong to either group. PC Chacko revealed that Congress' high command was merely accepting the names of the candidates on the list submitted by the two groups while ignoring other worthy candidates. 

Targeting Congress and its leadership, PC Chacko noted that the party was unable to find a president for itself and that it was impossible for him to remain loyal to the party under the present conditions. Further, the ex-Congress spokesperson said that Congress could not maintain democracy in the country and said that no one questioned the party;'s high command or Rahul Gandhi. Chacko claimed that the people of Kerala wished to see Congress back in power but said that it was ruled out owing to factions within the party. 

Meanwhile, the national executive of the Indian Youth Congress had passed a resolution on Monday demanding Rahul Gandhi to be named as the party's president. The Youth Congress' resolution comes amid challenges issued to the present Congress leadership under the Gandhis, with several party leaders seeking fresh elections. Citing 'the prevailing situation in India', the Youth Congress nonetheless backed Rahul Gandhi to take over the reins of the party once again.

Kerala Assembly polls

In the 2016 Kerala Assembly election, the CPI(M)-led Left Front swept the 140-member Assembly by bagging 91 seats. In contrast, the candidates of the UDF could win from only 47 constituencies. On the other hand, BJP failed to make an impact with only O Rajagopal winning from the Nemom constituency. Subsequently, CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Kerala on May 25, 2016.