Overview
- The All India Congress Committee on Saturday appointed Virudhunagar MP B. Manickam Tagore as president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, replacing K. Selvaperunthagai.
- Tagore is a three-time Lok Sabha MP, a Congress whip and an AICC in-charge for other States, and he is viewed as close to senior national leaders who supported the TVK alignment.
- The elevation follows the Congress’s split from the DMK and its decision to join the TVK-led government, a move that provoked sharp internal debate over seat sharing and the party’s role in state power.
- Party sources and reports say dissatisfaction with Selvaperunthagai’s stewardship, his recent criticism of the chief minister, and his request to be relieved helped clear the way for the leadership change.
- The high-command appointment signals an organisational reset in Tamil Nadu that could change candidate selection, ministerial bargaining and the party’s ground strategy ahead of upcoming local and national polls.