Thiruvananthapuram: Adv O J Janeesh has been appointed as the Kerala state president of the Youth Congress. Janeesh has been serving as the state vice president of the Youth Congress since 2013. Binu Chulliyil, currently an All India general secretary of the Youth Congress, has been selected as the working president of the state unit.

The announcement came 51 days after the resignation of Rahul Mamkootathil from the position following serious sexual misconduct allegations.
Janeesh hails from Thrissur, and has previously held leadership roles as the district president of both the KSU (Kerala Students Union) and the Youth Congress in Thrissur.

Apart from this, Youth Congress leaders Abin Varghese and K M Abhijith have been appointed as national secretaries of the organisation. Mahipal Gadhavi, Sadaf Khan and Lily Srivastava have also been appointed as national secretaries, while Karan Chaurasia has been named joint secretary.

Janeesh emerges president after weeks of speculation

The resignation of Rahul Mamkootathil, following a controversy over serious sexual misconduct allegations, had led to intense discussions regarding who would take over as the next Youth Congress president. Several names were under consideration, including Abin Varghese, Aritha Babu, Vishnu Sunil, Anuthaj, S Vaishakh, Darshan, O J Janeesh and Shibin, all of whom were serving as vice presidents of the state unit.

Although Abin Varghese was initially considered the frontrunner, concerns about communal representation and balance affected his chances. With the KPCC president, the Mahila Congress president and the KSU president all belonging to minority communities, Abin’s selection was seen as less likely. As a result, the leadership opted for Janeesh, who is considered a close associate of AICC general secretary KC Venugopal.