Summary of this article
The Indian National Congress is expected to announce Kerala’s next chief minister after days of internal consultations.
V. D. Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and K. C. Venugopal remain the main contenders for the post.
Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjuna Kharge and UDF allies were involved in the final round of discussions before the decision.
The 10-day political Impasse in the Congress regarding their new chief minister in Kerala looks set to end today. The Congress led United Democratic Front (UDF) won 102 seats in a landslide victory in the Kerala Assembly election.
The Congress which won 63 of the 102 UDF seats will announce the chief minister's name during the legislature party’s meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
“As authorised by the members of the CLP in Kerala, the Congress high command has completed all discussions and the decision on the next Kerala CM will be announced tomorrow,” said Congress’s communication chief Jairam Ramesh, following a meeting between senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, who is one of the candidates in the fray for the CM post.
The Candidates
Three candidates have staked claims for the top job in the state. These include outgoing leader of opposition in the Kerala Assembly, VD Satheesan; longtime Congress member and senior Kerala Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala; and Alappuzha MP and Congress general secretary (organization) KC Venugopal.
As soon as it became evident that the UDF will emerge victorious in the assembly elections, incessant lobbying for the post of CM began from the three camps.
Posters supporting one leader or the other started coming up around Kerala as followers of each leader clamoured to give their man the best shot at the job.
The Selection Process
In the Initial phase of the selection process the Congress High Command deployed Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken as observers to Thiruvananthapuram to consult with MLAs and learn their choice.
Then Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjuna Kharge consulted with senior congress leaders from Kerala including past Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) presidents. Congress MPs from Kerala were also consulted before decision making.
Congress allies particularly the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the largest non-Congress member of the UDF, were also taken into confidence.
“We are waiting for a decision from the Congress high command in Delhi in this regard,” senior party leader PK Kunhalikutty told reporters. “We hope a decision will come at the earliest.”
