One-man army: Kerala’s NK Premachandran elated after hard-fought CCI election win

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 14 The lone RSP Lok Sabha member, N.K. Premachandran is elated after securing a thumping victory in the fiercely contested elections to the Constitution Club of India (CCI) -- an exclusive body of current and former Members of Parliament -- in what turned out to be a rare moment when political lines blurred in the national capital.

Speaking to IANS, Premachandran admitted he had not anticipated the scale of the contest when he decided to enter the fray.

“Old timers tell me that there has never been such a keenly contested election to the CCI. This is only the fourth time in history that elections took place, as mostly the winners are elected unanimously. What was surprising was even tall leaders like Sonia Gandhi and even Union Home Minister Amit Shah queued up to vote,” said Premachandran.

Premachandran, the sole representative from Kerala, won a seat on the club’s 11-member executive committee with 444 votes out of 629 polled, emerging as one of the top scorers.

The CCI operates under the Lok Sabha Speaker, who serves as its President, and it also includes former lawmakers.

“This is the first time a lawmaker from Kerala has won in an election, and hence I am happy as I have got votes from the sitting and former lawmakers from the BJP. Without their support, I would not have secured such a large margin,” added Premachandran.

The election saw heavy cross-party participation, with MPs from the BJP, Congress, and opposition ranks voting side-by-side -- a rarity in Delhi’s political circles.

Former Union Minister and BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy retained a key office-bearer position with support from opposition leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, even as the BJP leadership mounted a challenge to his 25-year control of the panel.

BJP heavyweights Amit Shah, J.P. Nadda, and several Union Ministers joined opposition stalwarts in casting their votes, swelling the turnout to a record 707 -- far higher than the usual 100 in previous years.

Despite the BJP’s campaign for their candidate Sanjeev Balyan, Rudy’s panel, which included Premachandran, prevailed in most positions.

Premachandran’s win is being seen not only as a personal triumph but also as national recognition of his parliamentary stature.

Known for his articulate interventions in the Lok Sabha, he enjoys cordial relations across party lines, often drawing attention from both treasury and opposition benches during debates.

The Kollam MP’s political career is distinguished by an extraordinary record. He has been elected to every tier of representative democracy in India -- from panchayat to Parliament -- and has served as a State Cabinet Minister, Rajya Sabha member, and now a three-time Lok Sabha MP since 2014.

His party, RSP (B), is now an ally of the Congress-led UDF, while in 2006, when he was a cabinet minister in the V.S.Achuthanandan cabinet, his party was in the Left Democratic Front.

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