Chennai: The Congress high command is preparing for a change of guard in the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), with Congress MP Manickam Tagore emerging as the frontrunner for the top post. The decision is likely to be announced after the wedding of TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai's daughter on June 18.
Senior party leaders said the move follows Congress's poor performance in the recent assembly elections and the subsequent snapping of ties with DMK to join the TVK government. Congress national leadership wants a state chief who could nurture ties with TVK and take a tough stand against DMK in the wake of the Dravidian party's offensive against Congress.
A former Congress MP said the Congress high command was keen on strengthening the coalition with TVK, which is expected to revive the party in Tamil Nadu. "The choice of the next state chief will be made with this in mind," he said. Congress feels that over the years its strength has come down in Tamil Nadu. In this election, Congress won only five seats out of the 28 it contested as part of the DMK alliance. In the 2021 assembly elections, Congress had won 18 of the 25 seats it contested, registering a strike rate of over 70%. With the state getting ready for the local body elections, Congress wants a change in state leadership soon to prepare the party.
"Manickam Tagore ticks most of the boxes," said a Congress leader. Leaders backing Tagore point to his national profile, his role as Congress whip in Parliament, and his proximity to Rahul Gandhi. They also cite his early support for an alliance with TVK and his consistent criticism of former ally DMK. Former Krishnagiri MP A Chellakumar is also in the race, say party men. Like Tagore, Chellakumar has donned multiple organizational roles at the national level and is known to take a strong stand against DMK on various issues.
There are other contenders too, including Karti Chidambaram, Jothimani, M K Vishnu Prasad, and Ruby R Manoharan. But Congress sources say that among those who batted for a TVK alliance, only Tagore has not been rewarded yet. "Rajesh Kumar has become a cabinet minister and Praveen Chakravarthy a Rajya Sabha MP. So Tagore has brighter prospects," said a leader.
Though there has been no formal communication from the high command, discussions on changing the TNCC leadership have gathered pace. "The party wants the new leadership in place before the local body elections," a senior functionary said, while a former TNCC president also echoed the same and said the changed political landscape warranted a leader who can align the party with its alliance partner TVK and the state government. "The decision can come at any time," he said.
