B. Manickam Tagore appointed as Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president

Three-time Lok Sabha member and Rahul Gandhi loyalist B. Manickam Tagore was appointed president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) on Saturday. The All India Congress Committee (AICC) took the decision after K. Selvaperunthagai asked AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge to remove him as TNCC chief.

Mr. Tagore’s appointment comes at a time when the Congress has left its trusted ally DMK and joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government. The new alliance is likely to continue for the upcoming local body and Lok Sabha elections as well. A vocal critic of the DMK, he called for “sharing power”, thus causing a rift in the party’s alliance with the Dravidian major. Congress joined Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s Cabinet after the elections.

Although Mr. Selvaperunthagai secured a remarkable victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he also presided over a difficult period for TNCC, marked by infighting. The leaders’ public statements had threatened the breakdown of the alliance with the DMK in the Assembly elections.

Party sources said Mr. Selvaperunthagai failed to get the support of his party colleagues during his tenure and his removal was widely expected after TNCC vice-president A. Gopanna wrote to AICC leaders about Mr. Selvaperunthagai’s recent interview in which he attacked the TVK government and Mr. Vijay.

Mr. Tagore was first elected to the Lok Sabha from Virudhunagar constituency in 2009 and later in 2019 and 2024. He is currently the whip of the Congress in the Lok Sabha. He is also an Observer of the AICC, Haryana State Election Committee in charge of Andhra Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and a Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs and the Welfare of Other Backward Classes Committee.

Mr. Tagore joined the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress, in 1994 and later became the State District General Secretary. In 1998, he became the national president of the All India National Students Union of India. He also served as the national general secretary of the Indian Youth Congress from 2002-05 and served as the election commissioner of the IYC in 2008.

Extending his wishes to the new TNCC chief, Mr. Selvaperunthagai said, “I extend my heartfelt wishes to Manickam Tagore, who has been appointed as the TNCC chief. I wish you success and continued service towards the welfare of the people.”