NEW DELHI: Bringing an end to days of uncertainty and a heated internal leadership tussle, the Congress is expected to declare its Kerala chief ministerial nominee on Thursday during a Congress Legislature Party session at the KPCC office in Thiruvananthapuram. The gathering, slated for 1 pm, will be attended by AICC state overseer Deepa Das Munshi, along with observers Ajay Maken, Mukul Wasnik and others.
The outcome followed a nine-day impasse involving an intense three-cornered contest among senior figures VD Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and AICC General Secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal.
Significantly, the day saw unexpected developments as the declaration of the chief ministerial face was broadly expected after a key discussion between Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at the latter’s residence.
Yet, following the interaction, which continued for over 40 minutes, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh informed the media that the verdict on the chief ministerial nominee would be revealed on Thursday. “As empowered by the members of the CLP in Kerala, the high command of the Congress has concluded all deliberations, and the decision regarding who the next chief minister of Kerala will be shall be announced tomorrow,” Ramesh stated.
While speculation persists regarding who eventually prevailed in the ‘game of thrones’, the Congress leadership arrived at a conclusion after several rounds of discussions with newly elected MLAs, MPs, former KPCC chiefs, working presidents and other veteran leaders.
On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi conducted one-on-one interactions with several party functionaries in an effort to resolve the prolonged ambiguity.
Venugopal, viewed as a close associate of Rahul Gandhi, reportedly commands the backing of a majority of Congress MLAs and MPs, while Satheesan continued to enjoy the support of influential UDF partners, including the IUML. Sources suggest that Venugopal obtained the support of at least 47 of the 63 Congress MLAs.
Though Venugopal seemed to be the leading contender, sources indicated the Satheesan faction gained momentum in the leadership’s final phase of consultations. Senior leaders such as AK Antony, VM Sudheeran and K Muraleedharan reportedly advised the leadership to consider public opinion, which leaned in favour of Satheesan.
On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi initiated another round of phone conversations with Congress MPs to understand their opinions on the evolving developments. Kodikunnil Suresh, Congress MP, informed this newspaper that he received a call from Gandhi and spoke with him briefly for nearly a minute.
It was understood that Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also encouraged Rahul Gandhi to factor in the prevailing political climate before finalising the chief ministerial decision.
Sources stated the leadership was especially worried about the firm position adopted by the Muslim League, the UDF’s principal ally, which openly endorsed Satheesan. The situation placed the leadership in a challenging spot as it anticipated possible setbacks in the upcoming bypolls and the 2029 general elections. Simultaneously, the party was eager to avoid the impression of bowing to pressure from its allies.
Satheesan’s faction expressed concerns that selecting Venugopal would compel the UDF to confront two by-elections — one to elect him to the Assembly and another for the Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency presently represented by him. According to them, such a decision could prove politically risky in the state at this juncture.
The Congress leadership has been under increasing pressure to finalise a chief ministerial face despite the May 4 Assembly election outcome, in which the party secured a landmark mandate of 102 seats. The delay also exposed deep internal rifts within the party and its allies.