VD Satheesan, KC Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala (Images/Agencies)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Election won. Succession unsettled. Congress brass moved into overdrive Tuesday to pick Kerala’s next CM, with intense lobbying breaking out across factions after the party-led UDF’s emphatic victory, reports Rajiv G. The decision rests with LS opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, but consultations could stretch up to a week, according to sources.Three names anchor the contest. Leader of opposition VD Satheesan, who steered UDF through five years in the wilderness to a landslide, is seen as frontrunner. AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, a Rahul aide, is mobilising support. Ramesh Chennithala is the third choice.Ramesh Chennithala, aformer opposition faceand multiple-term legislator, is pressing his case onexperience and seniority.Satheesan has the supportof Indian Union MuslimLeague (22 seats), strengthening his pitch as the consensusface.Chennithala has said seniority must weigh heavily inthe choice. Venugopal’s campclaimed a sizeable bloc ofMLAs and MPs is in its corner.Congress, with 63 seats inthe 140-member assembly, isthe largest party in UDF thatunseated CPM-led LDF’s twoterm govt. UDF won 102 seats,while LDF managed 35. Thechallenge now is politicalarithmetic within Congress— balancing claims, preventing fissures and ensuring asmooth swearing-in.
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Congress brass has kept options open, focusing on consensus. A meeting chaired byparty president MallikarjunKharge, with Rahul present, isset to appoint AICC observers.Pressure is building for aquick call.Party insiderswarned that picking a compromise name outside themain contenders could trigger a backlash, with bothSatheesan and Chennithalacamps unlikely to accept a diminished role in cabinet formation under such a scenario.AICC general secretaryJairam Ramesh said a decision would come soon amid efforts to forge unanimity.The triangular contest hasdeepened fault lines. Venugopal’s backers cited organisational heft and central backing.Satheesan’s camp mentioned public acceptabilityand his role in the victory.Chennithala has remindedCongress that Satheesan’s elevation as opposition leader in2021 went against prevailingsentiment, underlining thecentral role in leadershipcalls. Congress said allies’views will be heard but it isunder no compulsion to yieldground, given its numbers.