Putting an end to 48 hours of uncertainty that put the Congress party in Kerala on the edge ahead of a crucial Assembly election, senior Congress leader K. Sudhakaran, MP, on Thursday night put an end to a rebellion that he initiated after the All India Congress Committee (AICC) denied permission to sitting MPs to contest the Assembly polls.
Speaking to the media outside his residence in Delhi after several rounds of talks with the party leadership, Mr. Sudhakaran indicated that he had decided to cede to the party. Quelling all rumours, he said he would abide by the decision of the party and not contest as an Independent. The details of the compromise formula that led to Mr. Sudhakaran’s climbdown remained mysterious.
“I will continue to be a member of the Congress party. Just because I was denied candidature does not mean I have been expelled from the party. I will contest only if the party allows me to. Else, I will not. I will reach every constituency as part of the Congress’ campaign,” he said.
The day witnessed heightened drama and a see-saw of emotions as Mr. Sudhakaran’s supporters staged a protest at Kannur in the morning over reports of denial of candidature. Later, they broke out into celebrations and burst crackers as it was hinted that the AICC had given in to his demands in the face of sustained pressure from the senior leader. The reports also led to United Democratic Front convener and Attingal MP Adoor Prakash, who has been rather muted in his protests, to raise fresh demands for a seat.
Over the past two days, Mr. Sudhakaran also postponed three separate press conferences he had scheduled, as rumours of his exit from the Congress swirled around. Senior party leaders, including former Chief Minister A.K. Antony and Ramesh Chennithala, intervened to mollify him.
“Sudhakaran is one of the most popular leaders of the party in Kannur. I told him that whatever difficulty he might have, he should abide by the party’s decisions. Sudhakaran is someone who has fought the Marxist party tooth and nail all his life in Kannur district. He will certainly work for the Congress to prevent a third Pinarayi government from coming to power,” said Mr. Antony to mediapersons. Mr. Chennithala said he did not believe Mr. Sudhakaran would ever leave the Congress party.
The senior leader’s rebellion virtually prevented the Congress from going ahead with its ground-level campaign in as many as 40 Assembly constituencies, with less than 20 days of campaign remaining. Earlier this week, the party which will be contesting 95 seats, had announced its candidates for 55 seats. However, the decision on the remaining 40 seats remained in limbo, as MPs, including Mr. Sudhakaran, Mr. Prakash and M.K. Raghavan, expressed a desire to contest.
The Congress is also facing rebellion from incumbent MLA Eldhose Kunnapilly in the Perumbavoor constituency. He said that he would contest as an Independent if he was denied a seat.
Published – March 19, 2026 09:35 pm IST
