Row over Assembly poll candidate: RSP Eravipuram mandalam secretary resigns in protest

The Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) was once again plunged into a deep crisis on Saturday as its Eravipuram mandalam secretary N. Naushad resigned in protest following the official announcement of Vishnu Mohan as the party’s candidate for the Eravipuram Assembly seat.

The resignation marks a dramatic escalation in an internal feud that has pushed the party to a breaking point. The conflict centres on the nomination of Karthik Premachandran, son of Kollam MP N.K. Premachandran. While a significant section of the party viewed Mr. Karthik as a high-velocity candidate with the “winnability” factor needed to reclaim the stronghold, a rival faction led by senior leader Shibu Baby John reportedly vetoed the move.

The State committee meeting held on February 27 saw heated arguments and a fundamental clash between the party’s traditional power centres. Critics of Mr. Karthik’s candidacy decried the proposal as “dynasty politics,” arguing that fielding a newcomer over seasoned grassroots workers would demoralise the cadre.

‘A compromise candidate’

Speaking on his resignation, Mr. Naushad dismissed Vishnu Mohan as a compromise candidate with “hardly any chance of winning.” Many view the move as a direct insult to the sentiments of the local workers.

“Vishnu Mohan does not have the local footprint required to challenge the LDF’s massive 28,000-vote lead from the previous election,” a party worker noted, echoing the concerns of the mandalam committee.

The dissent has also spilled over into the United Democratic Front (UDF). Senior UDF leaders in Kollam reportedly view Mr. Karthik as a “strategic asset” whose academic background and clean image would have appealed to neutral and youth voters. The youth wings of both the Congress and the IUML have been vocal in their preference for Mr. Karthik, fearing that the current internal friction may hand an easy victory to the LDF.

With its election machinery in Eravipuram currently paralysed by the mandalam secretary’s exit, the RSP leadership faces an uphill task in uniting its ranks before the campaign hits full swing.