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Shift In Kerala Congress' Power Dynamics? Ramesh Chennithala's NSS Address Sparks Leadership Speculation Ahead Of Kerala Polls
Ramesh Chennithala. (Shankar/The India Today Group/Getty Images)
Senior Congress leader and Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala's keynote address at the 148th birth anniversary celebrations of Nair Service Society (NSS) founder Mannathu Padmanabhan on Thursday (2 January) has sparked discussions about a potential shift in the Kerala Congress’ power dynamics.
The event, held at the NSS headquarters in Changanassery, marked a significant moment in Chennithala’s relationship with the influential Nair community organisation.
“I reckon this is a rare privilege. The NSS has given me refuge at critical moments of my life and is a noble brand of secularism,” Chennithala said during his address.
This appearance signals a thaw in the decade-long strained ties between Chennithala and the NSS, stemming from 2013 when NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair’s demand for Chennithala’s induction into the Kerala Cabinet created friction.
Chennithala, then the state Congress chief, was subsequently inducted into the Cabinet and handed the key Home Department, but he reportedly denounced the NSS leader’s appeal as a bid to portray him as merely a leader of the Nair community.
Chennithala’s selection as the chief guest has fuelled speculation about his return to a prominent role within the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) ahead of the Kerala Assembly elections next year.
Once a key figure leading an anti-Oommen Chandy faction, Chennithala’s political career has waned since his removal as Leader of the Opposition following the UDF’s defeat in the 2021 Assembly polls.
Meanwhile, other Nair leaders within the Congress, including current LoP V D Satheesan, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, CWC member Shashi Tharoor, and former state Congress chief K Muraleedharan, have seen their political profiles rise.
Satheesan, who is consolidating his position within the party over the past four years, is a strong contender to lead the UDF in the upcoming polls.
The NSS’s overture to Chennithala may challenge Satheesan’s standing, particularly given the latter’s 2021 reported criticism of community organisations interfering in party affairs.
Additionally, Satheesan recently faced criticism from Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan, who accused him of arrogance, stating, “He acts as if he is the king as well as the kingdom.”
Chennithala’s renewed rapport with the NSS could significantly influence the Congress’s internal power equations and its approach to the Assembly elections in 2026.
