In the midst of a new pledge from the Opposition parties to contest unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to defeat the BJP regime, the top opposition party, Congress, is planning to form a new leadership in the crucial state unit of Tamil Nadu ahead of the general elections. The development that's brewing in the party's high command has suggested that there might be an imminent change in the leadership.

The Congress party's plan of the leadership overhaul in Tamil Nadu has sparked a big race between the top leaders, while incumbent chief of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, KS Alagiri is hoping to hold the throne until the 2024 general elections. According to reports, KS Alagiri has reached New Delhi in the evening hours of Sunday - June 25 to held talks with the party's central leadership. 

KS Alagiri, a former MP and MLA, became the president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee in October 2018 and while his term ran for three years, it was later extended and he is now serving as the chief for nearly five consecutive years. Earlier, the central leadership considered to remove Alagiri from the post and to replace him with a young leader. However, citing the state assembly polls in 2021, Alagiri won in his bid to keep the baton in the state.

Under Alagiri's leadership, though Congress is a crucial ally of the ruling DMK, the party had witnessed several political infights among the second line leaders and the cadres. Clouded with several factions, the Congress establishment in Tamil Nadu has a handful of second line leaders who are vying to the post of the party's state chief. Among them are veteran Congress leader Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram and Congress MP Jothimani. 

While Karti Chidambaram is an MP from Sivaganga, Jothimani was elected from Karur. It is pertinent to note that while KS Alagiri went to New Delhi on Sunday, Karti Chidambaram is all set to reach Delhi on Monday - June 26 to move his bid for the post of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief. Karti Chidambaram has been expressing his interest to become the chief of the party's state unit.

Speaking to Times of India, Karti said, "I have made it clear I want the job. I have definite plans. I have the time and energy to put in all efforts to strengthen the party in Tamil Nadu." While Karti has been backed by his father, he is also facing dissents from the party cadres for his continuous political detachments in the ground-level. Despite being the son of a veteran leader, Karti lacks a strong profile to put weight behind his candidacy. 

On the other hand, though Jothimani, who is a trusted ally of Rahul Gandhi, is a strong contender for the post and she would become the first female chief of the state unit, had she been elected to the role, it is less likely that she would venture into the role of the state chief as she aims to contest in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from her hometurf again.  

Besides Karti Chidambaram and Jothimani, several reports had speculated that former IAS officer Sasikanth Senthil could have the prospect of becoming the new chief of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee. Sasikanth Senthil is with the Congress party and he played a vital role in the party's thumping victory in the recently-held Karnataka assembly polls. However, Senthil, by confirming that there would be a leadership change, said, "I have no idea if I am in the race and the party's leadership has to decide.  As far as I know, Jothimani is a strong contender for the post."

On the other side of the aisle, KS Alagiri's faction has denied that he will be removed from the post. His supporters had claimed that such development of the leadership change in the Tamil Nadu Congress unit is rumour. By citing that Alagiri has assured the central leadership that he will strengthen the party in Tamil Nadu for the general elections, his faction has claimed that it was due to his assurance that the central leadership didn't change the leadership in Tamil Nadu, when it recently did in some states like Puducherry and Gujarat two weeks ago.