‘A’ and ‘I’ groups stoke up demand for inner-party polls

AICC leadership views it as a step into the unknown

The row in the Congress in Kerala over the appointment of District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents has reportedly constrained the influential ‘A’ and ‘I’ groups to resurrect the long-standing and arguably improbable demand for organisational elections. When pressed, ‘I’ group leader Ramesh Chennithala told newspersons on Wednesday: “Organisational elections are welcome if held according to the timetable set by the All India Congress Committee (AICC).” The ‘A’ group led by Oommen Chandy is also reportedly stoking up a similar demand. The insistence on inner-party elections reflected the growing sense of powerlessness among the factions over the reorganisation process.