Congress workers in Kanyakumari district have voiced strong resentment after the party announced Praveen as its candidate for the Vilavancode Assembly constituency, part of the DMK-led alliance’s 28 seats allotted to the Congress.
Local leaders say the decision has sidelined party aspirants, noting that around 60 people—including sitting MLA Tharagai Kathpad and Tamil Nadu Congress general secretary Rameshkumar—had submitted applications seeking the ticket.
The anger intensified because Praveen is said to be the administrator of the CSI South India Kerala Diocese. Party functionaries alleged that he has no direct link with the Congress organisation in the constituency.
In protest, some cadres in the Kanyakumari West district Congress office reportedly placed footwear garlands on a cloth banner carrying leaders’ photos. Social media posts from party members also accused unnamed leaders of “betraying” the district unit.
A section of Vilavancode Congress functionaries claimed that certain CSI bishops pressed senior leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and K C Venugopal, to allot a seat to Praveen to help consolidate Christian votes in Kerala, where Assembly elections are also being held. They further alleged that candidate selection in Vilavancode has increasingly been influenced by bishops’ recommendations, citing the earlier bypoll ticket given to Tharagai Kathpad after Vijayadharani quit the Congress and joined the BJP.
