Kerala polls: Congress leader PJ Kurien says three candidates will vie for CM post if UDF wins

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader PJ Kurien on Saturday made it clear that while the Congress party has many leaders who are capable of becoming chief minister, only three names will currently be seriously considered if the UDF comes to power in Kerala. However, he chose not to reveal who those contenders were.Speaking to a TV channel, Kurien said that unlike the Left Front, the Congress did not lack qualified leaders. He added that whoever is elected as the chief minister, everyone in the party will accept the decision even if they personally disagree with it.

He said he also had his own preference for the position but would respect the party’s final decision.Kurien added that if someone wants or aspires to be the chief minister, there is nothing wrong with that as it is a democracy and everyone has the right to express their opinion.“After the results are declared on May 4 and the United Front wins, the high command will intervene, take input from the state leadership and MLAs and ultimately decide who will be the chief minister. This will be unanimously accepted by everyone in the party,” he said.He also clarified that none of the senior leaders, including KC Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala and VD Satheesan, had publicly expressed their desire to become the chief minister and said it was the media that fueled such speculations.In exit polls, Kurien said the Democratic Alliance would win with a much higher majority than expected, claiming voters who wanted a change of government were strongly opposed to the current government.Multiple exit polls showed a tight race between the ruling Liberal Democratic Front and the United Front, pointing to the possibility of a hung parliament, although most polls gave the United Front a slight advantage.Kerala held single-phase polls in all 140 constituencies on April 9 and the results are expected to be declared on May 4.