Kerala Congress Leader’s Meteoric Rise Comes to an Abrupt, Disgraceful End
Thiruvananthapuram: Rahul Mamkooathil, who quickly emerged as the young and dynamic face of the Congress party, saw his rise matched by an equally rapid decline. His short but remarkable political journey was full of both ups and downs.
After consecutive defeats in the 2016 and 2021 assembly elections, the Congress has been out of power for almost a decade, a situation not seen since the 1970s. Naturally, cadre morale was low, and the national decline from 2014 to 2019 further demoralized party workers.
It was at this point that a young leader like Rahul took the party’s struggle online and instilled confidence among the young members. In a short time, his sharp posts and reels on social media earned him the image of a superstar.
Under the tutelage of “giant killer” Vadakara MP Shafi Parambil, Rahul became a role model for the new generation in the party. Rahul and Shafi were seen as leaders who thought beyond Khadi and preferred colorful and casual attire.
While the duo sets television studios on fire with their energetic debates, they put their opponents in their places in prime time debates. Riding the wave of popularity, Rahul became the Youth Congress president.
He was soon selected to contest from the Palakkad assembly seat which fell vacant after his mentor Shafi Parambil’s thumping victory in Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency.
Rahul won the by-election with a decisive margin of 18,840 votes despite the all-out efforts of the ruling LDF, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Cabinet colleagues, to wrest the constituency from the Congress.
There was no turning back from Palakkad for the 36-year-old leader, who had led numerous protests and agitations against the government. He once had his entire house surrounded by police before he was dramatically taken into custody. These events reinforced his image as an angry young leader who bravely challenged an “oppressive” government. His leadership energized Youth Congress cadres across the state.
But behind the heroism and bravado, there was another side of Rahul that was caught in sexual harassment allegations. Initially, Congress leaders tried to sweep the allegations under the carpet and even supported Rahul, saying the accusations were politically motivated.
He was forced to resign as president of the Youth Congress in August 2025 after a young woman accused him of harassing her for more than three years. Despite his complaint to the Congress leadership, the party chose to ignore it.
Soon, audio clips of conversations, threats and screenshots of objectionable WhatsApp messages began circulating on social media, forcing the party to suspend him. Until then, Rahul maintained his “who cares” attitude, insisting that there was no formal complaint against him.
But his defense collapsed on November 27 when a woman filed a sexual harassment complaint against Rahul to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and produced digital evidence, including WhatsApp chats and a pen drive containing audio conversations.
Soon the police registered a rape case against the MLA. To make matters worse, another woman, an NRI, sent an email to the KPCC president accusing Rahul of raping her on the pretext of discussing marriage plans. With back to back rape complaints and rejection of his bail application, Rahul’s stay in the Congress has become untenable.
Just days before crucial local elections, the party expelled her to prevent possible damage, especially among female voters. The Congress has now shifted its focus to the CPM, forcing Marxist leaders to forward pending sexual harassment complaints against their members to the police.
Opposition leader VD Satheeshan said, “I hope CPM leaders will forward the complaints pollinating at the party headquarters to the police and ensure justice for the victims.” Several leaders in the CPM-led LDF, including an MLA and minister, are also facing allegations of sexual harassment and malfeasance.
