TN Cong leaders in Delhi lobbying for posts

CHENNAI: When the arrest of Minister Senthilbalaji kept most of the state polity engaged, a good number of Congress leaders from Tamil Nadu were camping in Delhi for an altogether different reason.

At least half a dozen leaders of the state Congress were understood to have either camped or visited Delhi to lobby for key posts.

The post of working president was believed to be the post high on demand among the visiting TNCC leaders. Information trickling out of TNCC suggests that the four incumbent working presidents Mohan Kumaramangalam, Mayura Jayakumar and two sitting MPs Jayakumar (Tiruvallur) and Vishnu Prasad (Arani) could likely be shown the door during the national-level rejig expected to be done in less than a fortnight.

The high command would mostly overlook the AICC secretaries in appointing the working presidents this time. Wary of the impending vacancies, at least half a dozen leaders from the state have lobbied with the AICC top brass, mainly the Congress national general secretary KC Venugopal for the post. According to reliable TNCC sources, state party general secretary Chiranjeevi, Coimbatore district Congress president VMC Manoharan, Chennai district president MS Dhiraviyam and Tirupur Gopi are among the TNCC functionaries said to have reached out to the AICC leaders for the elevation.

Congress deputy legislature party leader Rajesh Kumar and Velachery MLA Hassan Moulana are among the prominent TNCC persons hoping to secure a position in the state party decision making panel. Another big name, which has been doing rounds in Sathyamurthy Bhavan, was bureaucrat turned war room head of AICC for Karnataka Sasikanth Senthil.

“Sasikanth is also being considered for the TNCC chief post. Inexperience in handling the allies and leaders within TNCC is the only deterrent to him. In the event of the AICC overlooking him for the TNCC president post, he will definitely be appointed working president,” said a highly placed TNCC leader.