Former Speaker Sakthan assumes momentary cost as Thiruvananthapuram DCC president after Palode Ravi resigned over political gaffe

Mr. Ravi had resigned from the submit on Saturday (July 26, 2025) after he got here below fireplace from inside the Congress for supposedly broadcasting a defeatist outlook on Congress’ prospects within the upcoming native physique elections and the 2026 Assembly polls. 

 Mr. Ravi’s considerably vital appraisal of what he perceived as a scarcity of ballot preparedness on the Congress’ grassroots stage throughout a personal phone dialog with a celebration colleague induced a stir in political circles after it was surreptitiously recorded and leaked to the media.

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee has expelled its Congress block basic secretary in Vamanapuram, A. Jaleel, from the occasion in reference to the episode, which it deemed a serious political gaffe that supplied sensational grist for the ruling entrance to demoralise the Opposition.

Mr. Sakthan instructed reporters that Mr. Ravi had taken the autumn for an offence the latter didn’t wilfully commit., “The incident underscores the necessity for extra circumspection from occasion leaders,” he added. 

Mr. Ravi had considerably grimly warned the particular person on the different finish of the road that the Congress risked changing into an “undesirable commodity” if the “unenthusiastic and feuding perspective” of employees on the grassroots stage endured. He flagged the Congress perceived lack of trainers on the bottom. 

Mr. Ravi additionally cautioned that Muslims, who historically vote for the Congress, have been gravitating in the direction of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]. He warned that the Congress employees have been changing into more and more susceptible to poaching by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whose ascendancy, Mr. Ravi felt, had come at a steep price for the United Democratic Front (UDF). Mr. Ravi later defined that he had merely flagged points mentioned in occasion committees.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) pounced on Mr. Ravi’s “candid admissions” to place the Congress management on the defensive. General Education Minister and CPI(M) State Committee member said that Mr. Ravi had conceded {that a} third consecutive Left Democratic Front (LDF) authorities was a foregone conclusion. He famous that the Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan, would possibly as properly tamp down the UDF’s want to win 100 Assembly seats to a “extra life like tally of no more than 10.” 

SNDP Yogam basic secretary Vellapally Natesan, whose persevering with disagreement with Mr. Satheesan has drawn consideration, chimed in by quipping that he would resign from his submit if UDF bagged 100 seats within the 2026 Assembly polls.