With Palakkad Rahul Mamkootathil forced to resign as Youth Congress state president amid allegations of sexting and obscene conduct, all eyes are on who will succeed him.
Kerala: On her allegations against a politician of a prominent political party, Malayalam actor Rini Ann George says, "My fight is for women, not against any individual. When women come forward, society must acknowledge and understand the truth behind it. Initially, when I spoke… pic.twitter.com/zInRQk7WRs
— ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2025
It has been learnt that K.C. Venugopal, who is currently in Delhi, has contacted senior Congress leaders in Kerala regarding the top cotenders to assume the post, reports Manorama Online.
Who will succeed Rahul Mamkootathil as Youth Congress president in Kerala?
Several names are doing the rounds with regard to the next Youth Congress state president, including Abin Varkey, K.M. Abhijith, O.J Janeesh and J.S Akhil.
Abin Varkey Kodiyattu
In the previous organisational elections, Abin Varkey trailed Rahul Mamkootathil and many leaders have suggested that he should assume the post.
#WATCH | Kozhikode | On Malayalam actor Rini Ann George's allegations against a politician of a prominent party, Kerala Minister R Bindu says, "Many women have raised serious allegations against the young MLA Rahul Mamkootathil. It is urgent that he should resign as MLA. He has… pic.twitter.com/FjOtz4EXmr
— ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2025
Rahul won 2,21,986 votes in the November 2023 polls to defeat his closet rival Abin who bagged 168,588 votes. Abin had previously served as NSU secretary adn Youth Congress state secretary.
K.M Abhijit
K.M Abhijit, who has served as Kerala Students Union president in the past, is also among the name being considered. The New Indian Express reported that Abhijith will be handed over the temporary charges of the state unit.
O.J Janeesh
Another top contender is O.J Janeesh, who is currently the state vice president of Youth Congress. He previously served as Thrissur district president of the organisation. Janeesh's close ties with Venugopal could also help him.
J.S. Akhil
Though J.S. Akhil's name was floated, it is unlikely that the Congress leadership would agree to it. Akhil, who is known for his close ties with former CM Oommen Chandy's son Chandy Oommen, sparked controversy late last year after he was removed from the WhatsApp group of Congress media cell. He was one of the 23 panellists in the group. However, he was allegedly removed without notice after he spoke on TV in support of Chandy Oommen, who was denied any role in Palakkad bypoll campaign. Interestingly, Rahul Mamkootathil was the candidate in this bypoll.
Earlier in the day, multiple women levelled allegations against Rahul. Actor Rini Ann George alleged that she received sexts from a young politician, she did not name the person.
Later, Malayalam author Honey Bhaskaran accused Rahul of initiating a converstion on social media and alleged that he later told his peers that it was she who started texting him and twisted their conversation in a lewd way.
Trans woman Avanthika alleged that Rahul texted her that he wanted to "rape" her and asked her to meet him in Bengaluru or Hyderabad. She said she was afraid of speaking out against the politician and got the courage only after actor Rini came forward.
