Latest news with #Chennithala
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Civic polls: Cong to take call on alliances after Senas' rally
Mumbai/New Delhi: The Congress will take a decision on whether to contest the ensuing civic and zilla parishad elections under the banner of the Maha Vikas Aghadi or independently after the July 5 joint rally of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS led by Raj Thackeray. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now AICC general secretary Ramesh Chennithala, Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad and MPCC president Harshawardhan Sapkal have convened a meeting on July 7 to take a call on the strategy for the elections. "We are carefully watching the political situation in the state. We are meeting on July 7 to decide the future strategy. Certainly it will depend on the view of local and field leaders, their views will be taken into consideration before taking any decision on contesting the elections unitedly or independently," Chennithala said. Leaders from Maharashtra met the AICC for a day-long meeting chaired by Chennithala. Seeking views of senior members, which included Congress biggies in assembly and MPs besides AICC office-bearers, the party saw a mixed bag on the question of going into the polls with Uddhav Thackeray's Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP). Congress contested the 2024 Lok Sabha and assembly polls with the two partners as part of MVA. A Congress leader said that until recently, the political situation in the state was different, with LS and assembly polls contested under the MVA. The MVA had done well in the LS elections, but in the subsequent assembly pols, MVA faced a massive debacle. The situation has changed after the state govt's three-language policy move and its "Hindi" GRs. "The opposition was so strong that the warring Thackeray brothers unexpectedly joined hands to oppose the proposal. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Ultimately, Fadnavis had to drop the proposal, but in the process, the Thackeray brothers came together and now they have organized a joint victory rally on July 5 in Mumbai. We are waiting for their announcement, we will take a call on contesting the elections after their meeting," a senior Congress leader said. A senior Congress leader however said irrespective of the decision of the Thackeray brothers, the Congress is prepared to contest the civic and zilla parishad polls on its own. On the BMC polls, Congress's Mumbai leaders are learnt to have demanded that the party contest it separately. It was argued by some that votes of Sena (UBT) do not shift to Congress in a pact, even though Congress votes are transferred to the ally.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘Will have nothing to do with Raj': Congress on Thackeray cousins' possible alliance
MUMBAI: The rapprochement between the Thackeray cousins has led to a decision from a Shiv Sena (UBT) alliance partner. The Congress' Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala on Monday said that the party would have no truck with Raj Thackeray because of his stand against North Indians. (HT Photo) The issue was discussed at a meeting in New Delhi on Monday to discuss the party's stand for the upcoming local body elections. The meeting was chaired by Chennithala, and all senior leaders from the state Congress were present. 'The leaders voiced their concern over the growing bonhomie between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS, following which Chennithala told them it was not in their hands, but if the Thackerays went in for an alliance, the Congress would take its own decision,' said a senior leader privy to the development. Chennithala's statement has put a question mark on the future of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA). A three-party coalition comprising the Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP, the MVA was formed in 2019 after the Sena decided to snap ties with the BJP. The three parties contested the last Lok Sabha and assembly elections together. After Uddhav and Raj decided to hold a joint protest against the state government for making Hindi a third language in state schools, the Congress chose not to join the protest despite opposing the decision. Meanwhile, the Congress will also decide whether to go solo or contest the BMC elections as an alliance. 'We will take a final decision after holding a meeting of the political advisory committee of the party in Mumbai on July 5,' said Chennithala, admitting that Congress workers wanted to go solo. 'The local body elections are for workers, and obviously they want them to be contested without any alliance,' he stated. The party leadership is of the view that going solo is necessary to safeguard the party's organisational interests, given that its position is getting weaker with every passing year. A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting held in New Delhi on May 13 where all the senior leaders from Mumbai were present, Congress insiders revealed.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
KPCC seeks to quash ‘captain' controversy, attributes Nilambur bypoll win to ‘Team UDF'
The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), which met here on Friday, sought to quell what it termed as media speculation that some leaders had prematurely claimed credit for the Nilambur bypoll victory, irking others in the hierarchy. At a press conference, KPCC president Sunny Joseph dismissed the 'captain controversy'. He attributed the win to teamwork and voter anger against the LDF government. The controversy erupted after some reports attributed the Nilambur victory to the Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan's 'captaincy'. Subsequently, senior leader Ramesh Chennithala observed that the UDF had won several by-elections when he was the Leader of the Opposition. Nevertheless, Mr. Chennithala said the media had not given him the honorific status of a 'captain'. He noted the press appeared to apply double standards. Later, Mr. Satheesan shrugged off the 'captain rank' and attributed the bypoll win to 'Team UDF'. He also praised Mr. Chennithala as a leader in the rank of 'Major'. However, the remarks provided grist to the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) to assail the UDF leadership as faction-driven and squabbling over credit. Mr. Joseph also appeared to stoke speculation that some LDF allies had put out feelers to the Congress, seeking a political accommodation in the UDF ahead of the 2025 local body polls and the 2026 Assembly elections. KC(M) question When asked whether Congress considered wooing back Kerala Congress (Mani) [KC(M)] — a key LDF ally with deep pockets of influence among the Christian community in central Kerala — Mr. Joseph said, 'The UDF is set to expand its base significantly,' he said. Meanwhile, KC(M) chairperson Jose K. Mani told reporters in Kottayam that his party remained an integral part of the LDF. He denied the conjecture that the party's State Secretariat would weigh the possibility of parleying with the UDF on Friday. Mr. Mani refused to comment when asked whether the UDF's willingness to expand its base would give the KC(M) a bargaining tool to demand more local body and Assembly seats from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]. The KPCC deemed the ward limitation ahead of the local body polls unscientific. It also accused the government of nepotism in appointments and corruption in the construction of NH-66.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Captain or Major? After bypoll win, Congress leaders fight over credit
T'puram/Kozhikode: UDF's win in Nilambur has sparked serious differences within the Congress, with senior leader Ramesh Chennithala voicing his displeasure over opposition leader VD Satheesan being praised as the 'captain' of the bypoll victory. "When I was opposition leader, we won several bypolls. But no one called me a captain," he said. To ease tensions, Satheesan responded, "If I'm called the captain now, then Chennithala is the major of the party." Chennithala said the party learned a key lesson from Nilambur — unity leads to victory. "In Nilambur, the anti-govt sentiment was strong and people clearly demanded change," he said. Chennithala also distanced himself from Satheesan's 'Mission 63' plan for the upcoming assembly election. Satheesan had proposed the strategy to secure 63 winnable seats, but the party hasn't revealed which seats are part of the plan. "Will it be a problem if we win more?" Chennithala asked. On the debate over former LDF-backed MLA PV Anvar's entry into UDF, Chennithala said, "We tried to bring Anvar to our side, but his criticism of our candidate became a problem. We tried to correct him, but he didn't listen. So UDF decided to ignore him." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Direct Shopping From Adidas Franchise Store With 60% Discount Original Adidas Shop Now Undo Asked if the opposition leader would become the chief minister if Congress won the next election, Chennithala said the party high command would take a final call. While Congress leaders have largely aligned with Satheesan's stand opposing Anvar's entry into UDF, IUML leaders have signalled that the door is not totally shut on the former MLA with senior leaders saying that Anvar was a factor in Nilambur bypoll and the votes he secured would come up for discussion. IUML MP ET Mohammed Basheer said Anvar was a factor in Nilambur bypoll as he secured significant votes and it was natural in politics to consider broadening UDF's support base ahead of future elections. "The matter of how to accommodate likeminded people for that is something which has to be discussed," he added. Basheer said there would be more favourable changes in the relations between parties during elections and said that it is something that can be discussed then. "The issue of Anvar's entry will automatically come up for discussions," he added. Senior leader MK Muneer said though he felt that this is not the time to discuss Anvar's entry into the front, the votes he received would come up for discussion. "We are not viewing the over 18,000 votes he secured lightly. Most votes he secured came from the Left. That is not a small number," said Muneer. He added that Anvar's remarks against UDF candidate Aryadan Shoukath and Satheesan had created difficulties in reaching a collective decision. "IUML had taken initiatives in this regard at the outset. But we won't do anything that would cause damage to the front," he said. IUML's leadership meeting in Malappuram on Friday will discuss Nilambur election results. After UDF won in Nilambur, Satheesan had said that the front had closed its door to Anvar based on a collective decision and there were no discussions about reopening it at the moment. Anvar, who resigned as the MLA after a fallout with CPM and necessitated the bypoll, made inroads into the vote banks of both fronts. He secured 19,760 votes (11.23%) in the constituency.
The Hindu
15-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Central, State governments aligning with corporate interests, sidelining workers: Ramesh Chennithala
The Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) will lead strong protest movements against the Central and State governments that are aligning with corporate interests and sidelining workers, said senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala. Speaking at the inauguration of the INTUC Thrissur district leadership conference held at the Regional Theatre here on Sunday Mr. Chennithala criticised both governments for trampling labour laws and neglecting the rights of the working class. He particularly condemned the Pinarayi-led State government for reducing the number of workdays and failing to ensure minimum wages for labourers. Mr. Chennithala emphasised that a strong response would be mobilised by rallying public support against such anti-worker measures. The meeting was presided over by INTUC district president Sundaran Kunnathulli. INTUC State president R. Chandrasekharan delivered the keynote address.
