Chennai, Feb 22 Dissent is brewing within the Tamil Nadu Congress over the leadership style of state party President K. Selvaperunthagai after he invited applications for the post of new district chiefs.
A section of party leaders has met Girish Chodankar, the AICC secretary incharge of Tamil Nadu, to express their dissatisfaction with Selvaperunthagai’s leadership.
Selvaperunthagai, a grassroots leader known for his outspoken criticism of political opponents, is facing opposition from a faction of party members loyal to a Congress Member of Parliament from southern Tamil Nadu.
It is to be noted that the Tamil Nadu Congress is a part of the INDIA bloc led by the DMK.
While the Congress and the DMK share a strong alliance, some Congress leaders are displeased with the DMK for taking over the Erode East legislative Assembly seat, which was previously represented by deceased Congress leaders EVKS Elangovan and his son, Thirumagan Everaa.
Senior Congress leaders who met the AICC secretary on Friday in New Delhi reportedly blamed Selvaperunthagai’s inefficiency for the DMK not allocating the sitting seat to the Congress in Erode East.
The Congress party had 18 legislators in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, but after it was not allowed to contest from Erode East, its strength has been reduced to 17.
However, it is worth noting that the party had only eight MLAs in the 2016 Assembly to the present 17.
With the DMK having announced 200 out of 237 seats for the INDIA bloc in the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections, the Congress high command is expected to give Selvaperunthagai a free hand in party affairs.
The TNCC president, who is into his first anniversary in office, is a prominent Dalit leader with substantial grassroots support.
Highly placed sources in the Tamil Nadu Congress indicate that Selvaperunthagai enjoys the backing of senior party leaders, including AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal.
According to party insiders, around ten District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents are likely to be removed and replaced with fresh faces.
A Congress leader aligned with Selvaperunthagai told IANS that these changes are being made due to underperformance, and with Assembly elections only a year away, the party is set to take tough decisions based on feedback from the TNCC president.
The Congress party has historically played a secondary role in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, dominated by the Dravidian parties—DMK and AIADMK. The party high command is now looking to usher in a new era for the Tamil Nadu Congress by implementing grassroots reforms and making leadership changes in key districts.
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