CHENNAI: The clock may have started ticking on the tenure of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K Selvaperunthagai, with the All India Congress Committee (AICC) constituting a five-member fact-finding committee to investigate the party's dismal performance in the Assembly election and allegations of anti-party activities.
Headed by former MP K Jayakumar, the panel has been tasked with examining the causes of the Congress party's electoral setback in Tamil Nadu and complaints arising from campaign-related issues, including candidate selection and the actual poll work on the ground. Party insiders say the committee's findings, expected within 60 days, could have far-reaching implications, including a possible change in leadership of the state unit.
The development has revived speculation about Selvaperunthagai's future in the Congress as party president, particularly in light of his pre-election remarks about quitting the post after the results. During the tense seat-sharing negotiations with the then ally DMK, Selvaperunthagai had publicly indicated that he was willing to step down as TNCC president after the polls.
Though he later clarified that the Congress high command had not accepted his offer to resign, he reiterated the sentiment in an interview with DT Next, saying he wished to concentrate on constituency-level politics and that a new TNCC chief could take over after the election. He had also suggested that a woman leader would be well placed to head the state unit in the future.
Those comments have acquired renewed significance following the party's disappointing electoral performance. Contesting 28 seats as part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), the Congress secured victories in only five constituencies. The political landscape shifted dramatically after the results, with Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerging as the single largest party and the Congress subsequently joining the TVK-led dispensation in a post-poll arrangement.
The defeat, viewed by several party functionaries as one of the Congress party's poorest performances in Tamil Nadu in recent years, prompted the AICC to initiate a formal review exercise through the fact-finding panel earlier this month.
Providing a glimpse into the committee's mandate, TNCC vice-president S M Hidayathullah, who is also a member of the panel, said the inquiry covers candidate selection, the performance of party office-bearers and grievances raised by cadres across the 28 constituencies contested by the Congress.
"We are collecting feedback from party workers and office bearers regarding the conduct of the campaign, candidate selection and organisational issues. The committee has already completed inquiries in Chennai and surrounding districts," Hidayathullah told DT Next.
He said the panel would submit its report to the AICC leadership within 60 days.
Party sources said the committee is also examining complaints over the selection of certain candidates, including GKM Tamil Kumaran, son of senior PMK leader GK Mani, who was allotted a Congress ticket shortly after joining the party.
With the review expected to identify both organisational lapses and accountability issues, Congress insiders believe the report could serve as the basis for a wider overhaul of the Tamil Nadu unit. Whether that exercise culminates in a change at the top remains to be seen, but within party circles, the 60-day deadline is increasingly being viewed as a crucial marker in Selvaperunthagai's political future.