Congress seeks consensus, camps flex strength in CM battle: What’s happening in Kerala

New Delhi: Days after a resounding victory in the Kerala Assembly elections, congress The choice of chief minister has not yet been finalized.Three senior leaders are in the fray – VD Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and KC Venugopal. As of Saturday, all three were in Delhi, where the Congress high command is meeting this week. A final decision is expected within 24 hours.The last time the Congress came to power in Kerala was under Oommen Chandy, whose government ended in 2016. Chandy, who died in July 2024, remains one of the most respected figures in Congress politics in Kerala. This became all the more dramatic this week when a flex board bearing his likeness and that of Venugopal was torn down and doused with black oil by supporters of his rivals.Who are the competitors?Vascular disease SatisonVeteran Congress leader VD Satheesan is widely seen as the front-runner in the chief ministerial race. Satishan, a five-time MLA from Pallavur in Ernakulam district, has been outspoken about his desire for the post and the broader political mood in the state appears to be working in his favour.UDF allies also strongly backed Satheesan, praising him for leading the opposition movement against the left-wing government.Congress leader KP Noushad also elaborated this point for him. “VD Satheesan’s significant contribution as Leader of Opposition and UDF Chairman makes him the natural front-runner,” he said.Ramesh ChennithalaRamesh Chennithala remains a senior leader whose experience deserves respect. However, he also led the UDF to a comprehensive defeat in the 2021 parliamentary elections, a setback that ultimately led to his replacement as leader of the opposition by Satheesan.Reversing the decision now, after Satyasan won the election, could raise uncomfortable questions within the party about whether seniority takes precedence over merit.Chennithala met Sonia Gandhi A meeting was held in Delhi earlier this week as consultations intensified. But the memory of the 2021 failure continues to weigh on his outlook, with rival camps constantly reminding senior officials of the failures under his leadership.KC VenugopalCongress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal has also emerged as a strong contender in the Kerala chief ministerial election. Venugopal is deeply trusted by the party hierarchy and has become one of Rahul Gandhi’s closest organizational aides in recent years.In addition to overseeing party affairs, he is also responsible for coordination within parliament and maintaining communication with India Group allies.However, doubts remain over Rahul Gandhi’s ability to get Venugopal out of his current organizational role. Another factor working against him is that he did not contest the parliamentary elections.Legally speaking, Venugopal can still become chief minister and enter Parliament through a by-election within six months. But the Congress had earlier taken a principled stand that no sitting member would contest the assembly elections.Party sources told PTI that the final decision on whether to appoint an MP as chief minister lies with the high command.The fourth name—— Shashi Tharoor — is also present in Delhi circles, although he is still largely regarded as a national figure rather than someone deeply involved in the country’s administration.KPCC issues notices to 15 leadersAmid escalating tensions over the leadership issue, Congress has initiated disciplinary proceedings against leaders who organized public demonstrations in support of Satyasan.The KPCC issued show-cause notices to around 15 leaders for allegedly violating the directives of the high command.Chairman of Korea Petroleum Commission sonny joseph It is reported that the party has submitted a report to AICC general secretary Deepa Dasmunshi, emphasizing that the party leaders organized protest marches despite clear instructions from the AICC and KPCC, which was a “serious violation of discipline”.Those who received the notice include KPCC member Chempazhanthy Anil and INTUC Thiruvananthapuram district president VR Prathapan. Others include Kaimanam Prabhakaran, T Sanaj, Attingal Unnikrishnan and Ambiraj. Some leaders in Idukki district were also notified.Protests in support of Satheesan continued on Saturday.Meanwhile, Congress workers across Kerala started removing panels and posters in support of Satyasan, Venugopal and Chennithala after the three leaders jointly appealed to their supporters to end public events related to the chief ministerial election.what’s next Soon after the election results were announced, the Kerala Congress passed a resolution empowering the high command to decide on the chief minister’s choice. The decision will now be taken by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) leadership.Satishan, Chennithala and Kerala Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sunny Joseph flew to Delhi on Friday evening. Venugopal, who was stationed in the capital, was already there. Congress observers have submitted their report to party president Malikajun Haq.Congressional brainstorming sessionCongress president Mallikarjun Haq and Rahul Gandhi held a brainstorming meeting on Saturday.The meeting was convened by Haq at his official residence and was attended by Rahul Gandhi, Dasmunshi, KC Venugopal, senior Kerala leaders Ramesh Chennithala and VD Satheesan, besides Kerala Congress president Sunny Joseph and senior observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik.The party is keen to avoid upsetting leaders who have been excluded from the race and is working to build consensus, sources said. “Otherwise, the decision would have been announced by now,” one source said. During the deliberations, Kharg and Rahul Gandhi also consulted Sonia Gandhi.The top leadership is also understood to have co-opted national leaders by allowing open contests to favor individual contenders.“Soon, at the right time, we will get the final decision from our high command,” said Deepa Dasmunshi, AICC general secretary in charge of the state.“May 23 is the last day. I think that in due course we will get the final decision from the high command and we are waiting. At the appropriate time we will take appropriate action. The final decision has to be taken by the high command,” she said.