The Congress leadership in Kerala appears to be witnessing internal differences over whether coalition partners should be involved in the selection of the Chief Minister, even as the party high command continues its consultations with senior leaders from the state in Delhi.
A series of prominent Kerala Congress leaders have been summoned to the national capital for discussions, including former KPCC presidents V M Sudheeran, Mullappally Ramachandran, K Muraleedharan, K Sudhakaran and M M Hassan.
In addition, the party has also called senior MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, along with working presidents P C Vishnunath, Shafi Parambil and A P Anil Kumar, to Delhi for further consultations.
After the meetings, K Sudhakaran told reporters that his position remains unchanged and, in his view, the opinions of elected MLAs should play a key role in deciding the Chief Minister candidate.
Also read: Uncertainty persists over Kerala CM choice
Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said he had conveyed his views to the high command and responded to all queries as a party worker. On whether the Indian Union Muslim League should have a say in the selection process, he questioned why the ally was being “dragged” into the discussion, adding that it need not be involved in the decision. He also said a final decision on the Kerala Chief Minister would be taken soon.
K Muraleedharan stated that he had already communicated his opinion to the central leadership and expected a decision by Wednesday.
A P Anil Kumar, MLA from Wandoor, said the high command would carefully evaluate all perspectives before arriving at a conclusion.
The key contenders for the Chief Minister’s post are senior leaders Ramesh Chennithala, V D Satheesan, and K C Venugopal, who also serves as AICC general secretary (Organisation).
Earlier, Muraleedharan had remarked that the decision would not be based solely on the views of MLAs, but would also take into account opinions of UDF allies and the general public. He emphasised that since the decision involves the United Democratic Front’s Chief Minister and not just the Congress party, coalition partners’ views would naturally be considered. However, he added that if it were only based on MLAs, a decision would have already been reached.
In contrast, senior leader M M Hassan firmly maintained that coalition partners have no role in deciding the Congress Legislature Party leader in Kerala. He rejected the idea that allies could influence the internal decision-making process, stating that only the Congress party has the authority to choose its Assembly leader and Chief Minister.
The high command’s move to consult former KPCC presidents has reportedly strengthened the camp of V D Satheesan, who is said to enjoy strong grassroots backing among UDF workers, along with support from key ally Indian Union Muslim League.
Within this group, leaders such as Muraleedharan and Sudheeran are also believed to favour factoring in public sentiment before finalising
the Chief Minister.
Satheesan’s supporters argue that appointing K C Venugopal could trigger two by-elections—one for his entry into the Kerala Assembly and another for the Alappuzha Lok Sabha seat currently held by him—which they claim could be politically risky under present conditions.
However, the working presidents who have been called to Delhi are considered to be aligned with Venugopal’s camp.
His supporters argue that he has the backing of a majority of MLAs and is a strong organisational strategist capable of steering the UDF to electoral success, including in any potential by-elections. They also claim he enjoys support from a significant number of Congress MPs from Kerala.
Meanwhile, the camp backing Ramesh Chennithala argues that he is the most senior leader, who has consistently supported the party and the Nehru-Gandhi leadership even during challenging phases. His supporters highlight his long organisational experience, including his tenure in the NSUI and Youth Congress, during which many of his colleagues later rose to become chief ministers or union ministers.
They contend that overlooking his seniority at this stage would be unfair and unjustified.
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