The electoral loss of the 1967 Assembly election triggered sporadic laments about the Congress’ decline in Kerala. Its representation in the State Assembly came down to nine out of 133 seats and the party was confronting disturbing questions about its future in the State.
Into that vacuum jumped a new crop of youngsters, under A.K. Antony, Vayalar Ravi and Oommen Chandy, who revived the organisation through a series of protests that rocked the State. What they brought in, as a group, were some distinct perspectives that helped restore the reputation of the Congress and alter the political dynamics of Kerala forever.
Over the next few decades, they would go so much together, forming the backbone of the Congress in the State, planning and organising protests against the State administration on various issues and other party activities that saw them leapfrogging into the mainstream politics.
