K.V. Thomas quits as Kerala’s Special Representative in New Delhi after new UDF govt takes over

Close on the heels of the new UDF government assuming office in Kerala, former Congress leader and former Union Minister K.V. Thomas has resigned from his position as the Special Representative of Kerala government in New Delhi.

He also vacated his office and quarters at Kerala House. Mr. Thomas also clarified that his tenure naturally came to an end when the term of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ended.

Mr. Thomas was appointed by the former LDF government in 2023 as a Special Representative of the State with Cabinet rank “to be the bridge between the Centre and the State”. He also had the task of accelerating the State’s projects with the Centre through liaisoning.

Mr. Thomas was chosen to be the State’s representative after he was expelled from the Congress in 2022 for alleged anti-party activities after he was seen campaigning for the LDF candidate and sharing a stage with Mr. Vijayan during the Thrikkakara bypoll.

The LDF’s argument was that Mr. Thomas was their apt choice for the post, earlier held by A. Sampath, because of his long years as a parliamentarian in New Delhi and that his liaisoning and networking skills can be made use of by the State.

However, Mr. Thomas’ appointment as special representative, when the State already had an Officer of Special Duty in New Delhi, apart from representatives of the legal, tourism and other departments, had evoked much criticism from the Opposition parties in the State.

They were also critical of the fact that Mr. Thomas’ appointment would cause an additional and unnecessary financial burden for the State, which was already in a vulnerable financial position.