Another Jolt To Kerala Congress As Vijayan Thomas Defects To BJP

Former Kerala Congress General Secretary Vijayan Thomas on March 12 defected to the BJP. Being denied a ticket from the Nemom constituency for the upcoming assembly elections, Thomas was reportedly dissatisfied with the Congress. Thomas alleged excessive groupism, springing from the internal rifts between Oommen Chandy's Kerala 'A' and Ramesh Chennithala's Kerala 'I' factions, as the driving factor behind his desertion. Recently, MP PC Chacko had also switched to the saffron camp, citing similar reasons.