Kottayam: PJ Joseph was on Monday (May 13) made the temporary chairman of the Kerala Congress (Mani). The decision was announced by the party general secretary Joy Abraham, who has the organisational charges.

Joseph will hold the temporary charge until a new chairman is chosen. During the announcement of the temporary chairman, Abraham said as per party rules, in the absence of the chairman, according to the Rule 29 of party constituency, all powers and functions of the chairman will fall on the working chairman. So Joseph was selected as the temporary chairman.

Also read: Tension mounts among Kerala Congress (M) leaders over choosing new chairman

It was assumed by the party that vice chairman Jose K Mani would be the new chairman. Those supporting the working chairman Joseph are not ready to accept Jose as the chairman. Of the 14 district presidents of the party, 10 are from the KM Mani group.

The faction led by Jose, which has a clear majority in the party’s committees, is firm on the founder leader’s son becoming the next chairman. The move, however, is opposed by Joseph, who also looks to firm up his control over the party by becoming the next Parliamentary party leader while making CF Thomas the chairman.

Also read: Kerala Congress (M) leaders jealous, scared of Mani, says party mouthpiece's editor

According to sources, even after selecting the temporary chairman, the cold war inside the Kerala Congress (M) is still on. A couple of days ago, Prathichaya, the mouthpiece of Kerala Congress (M), had lashed out at the party's working chairman Joseph in its daily. The article in the newspaper said that late party leader Mani breathed his last with a wounded heart.

Also read: KM Mani, India’s longest-serving legislator, dies in Kochi