The Rise and Fall of Rahul Mamkootathil: From Congress Youth Icon to Expelled MLA in Kerala

His expulsion from the Congress party occurred exactly one year after he was sworn in as a Member of Legislative Assembly.

Thiruvananthapuram:

Rahul Mamkootathil once represented the Congress party's aspirations for a new generation of political leadership in Kerala.

However, since last week, Mamkootathil's circumstances drastically changed following sexual assault allegations. On Thursday, after a court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea, the Congress removed him from the party's primary membership. Notably, this expulsion came precisely one year after he had taken his oath as an MLA.

In his mid-thirties, Mamkootathil was youthful, well-spoken, and displayed remarkable confidence for a first-time legislator. He was viewed as part of a small but emerging group of leaders capable of reconnecting the party with younger voters.

His rise in politics was remarkably swift, almost unprecedented, but his downfall has unfolded even more rapidly.

Mamkootathil's political breakthrough occurred in November last year when Congress leadership made the bold decision to nominate him, then serving as state Youth Congress President, as their candidate in the Palakkad Assembly by-election.

The selection surprised many within the party.

He wasn't a district heavyweight nor someone who had climbed the traditional organizational ladder.

Yet his communication skills, media presence, and appeal among youth made him an attractive candidate for a constituency seeking fresh representation.

The gamble proved successful. Mamkootathil won convincingly, with his victory margin becoming a significant talking point within the United Democratic Front.

In subsequent months, he frequently appeared in television debates, articulating party positions with confidence and eloquence.

His ability to handle aggressive questioning and frame issues clearly earned him visibility extending far beyond his Palakkad constituency.

For a party struggling to develop new leadership, Mamkootathil appeared to be a much-needed fresh face.

That promise now stands overshadowed by sexual assault allegations—and the more damaging spectacle of his eight-day absence from public view.

For supporters, this represents a shocking reversal: a leader once projected as the party's future now faces accusations of impropriety and evasion.

For critics, it confirms their skepticism about his rapid ascent.

Regardless of the investigation's ultimate outcome, the political consequences are already substantial.

The Congress party, which had hoped to develop him as a long-term political asset, now confronts the optics of a promising MLA undone not merely by allegations but by the perception that he fled from accountability.

Mamkootathil's story may yet develop further chapters, but the sudden collapse of his early momentum serves as a reminder of politics' rapid shifts in fortune and the fragility of public reputation.