Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 26 (IANS): Three years after quitting Congress and switching over to the ruling CPI(M), P. S. Prasanth was on Thursday appointed as the new president of the Travancore Devasom Board.

Prasanth will take over the post after the term of the incumbent president K. Ananthagopan, a top CPI(M) leader ends shortly.

The top leadership of the ruling LDF led by Vijayan decided to make Prasanth the new president of the Travancore Devasom Board- a prestigious temple board which looks after the affairs of all its temples in South Kerala districts, including the famed Sabarimala temple.

Prasanth was the Congress candidate at the 2021 Assembly polls from the Nedumgadu constituency in the state capital district but lost to present State Minister for Food and Civil Supplies G.R.Anil by over 23,000 votes.

After his defeat, he turned against top Congress leaders whom he held responsible for his defeat and faced suspension. In August 2021, he was reportedly expelled from the grand-old party after he levelled serious allegations against AICC general secretary K.C.Venugopal.

In September 2021, Prasanth joined the CPI(M) without any pre-conditions and said he decided to leave the Congress as it had lost inner party democracy, and hailed the CPI(M) as a secular party upholding people's issues.