Denied Lok Sabha ticket, Congress leader Prathapan appointed Kerala PCC working president

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader T N Prathapan, the only sitting MP denied a ticket to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, was appointed as the working president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Tuesday.

The decision was announced by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in New Delhi.

"The Hon'ble Congress President has approved the proposal for the appointment of Shri T N Prathapan as the Working President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, with immediate effect," a statement issued by the AICC said.

After dropping Prathapan as the Lok Sabha candidate from his sitting seat Thrissur, the party nominated K Muraleedharan, the sitting MP from Vadakara, to contest from Thrissur following a last-minute twist.

With Muraleedharan's candidacy in Thrissur, the Central Kerala constituency is set for a fierce battle, as the BJP has nominated actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi — known for his proximity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi — in the hope of securing the seat and ending the party's electoral dry spell in the southern state.

The ruling Left has put forward former minister and CPI leader V S Sunil Kumar as their candidate in Thrissur.

The Congress's strategic move to field Muraleedharan from Thrissur, once a stronghold of his late father Congress stalwart K Karunakaran, came just a day after his sister and party leader Padmaja Venugopal defected to the BJP.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader M M Hassan will be given temporary charge of the KPCC presidency in the wake of the party's state chief K Sudhakaran contesting the Lok Sabha polls from his sitting seat in Kannur, party sources said.

Hassan will be handed over the temporary charge on Wednesday, they said.