TNCC leaders camp in B’luru to meet Kharge
KS Alagiri reportedly granted audience amid reports that he may be replaced as party state chief
KS Alagiri
CHENNAI: Over a dozen leaders of the state Congress, mostly MLAs and MPs are camping in Bengaluru to meet All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge amid speculation of a change of guard at the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) helm.
It has been reliably learnt that two TNCC delegations, including one comprising incumbent TNCC president KS Alagiri have been reportedly granted audience by Kharge to discuss the likely leadership change in the state party unit.
Highly placed TNCC sources told DT Next that Alagiri would be meeting Kharge in Bengaluru to request the national boss to extend his tenure till the completion of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
A state Congress leader, who is a part of another delegation also scheduled to meet Kharge on Friday disclosed to this paper that they had rushed to meet the AICC president following strong speculations of the national leadership considering incumbent Congress legislature party leader in Tamil Nadu K Selvaperunthagai for the coveted TNCC president post.
“There were strong indications that Selvaperunthagai’s name was under consideration. We rushed to Bengaluru to prevent it from happening. We can accept anyone, but the incumbent CLP leader. If the intention of the AICC is to appoint a Dalit leader to head the Tamil Nadu party unit, the party would do well to consider former bureaucrat Sasikanth Senthil, who is heading the electioneering team in one of the poll bound northern states,” said the Congress leader on condition of anonymity.
Asked about the speculated appointment of Selvaperunthagai and his replacement with recently elected MLA EVKS Elangovan as CLP in the Assembly, a state Congress senior said that Elangovan has conveyed his lack of interest in the Congress Legislature Party leader post.
“It is too early to consider it done. Something is happening at the highest level in AICC regarding the TNCC president post. Appointments have been made for Pradesh Congress Committee leadership in a few states of late. TNCC president appointment is due for a long time. We expect the AICC to take a call on extending incumbent Alagiri’s tenure or appoint his replacement soon to put an end to the uncertainty,” said a TNCC functionary.
