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The Congress, which emerged as the largest party by winning 63 seats in the Kerala Assembly, has taken up its next big challenge of deciding its chief ministerial candidate. Those staking their claim for the coveted post include former Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala.
Two observers - senior Congress leaders Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken - appointed by party high command are expected to reach the state on Wednesday, May 6. They will meet the newly-elected MLAs the next day to assess their preference among the front-runners. According to sources, the MLAs will be taken to Delhi or the observers will appraise the party high command about their choice on Friday. A parliamentary party meeting is also expected to be held on Thursday.
As per reports, Venugopal is enjoying support of the highest number of MLAs, including Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunny Joseph. Indian Union Muslim League, a key constituent of the Congress-led United Democratic Front, has openly favoured Satheesan.
Chennithala presents himself as a senior leader and a former Minister, who held important portfolios like Home department. Of the three, Venugopal is the only one who did not contest the Assembly election this time. However, supporters of Venugopal have pointed out the cases of former CMs C Achutya Menon, Nayanar and AK Antony, who went on to become Chief Minister without contesting Assembly elections in those respective years. As per Article 164 (4), a non-member can be a Minister or Chief Minister, but will have to win the election within six months.
According to sources within the party, Satheesan has limited support among MLAs. Only a small section of legislators are considered to be backing him. His challenges are not confined to the state level. Even among the High Command, Satheesan is not seen as a preferred leader.
A Congress source said, “Rahul Gandhi does not favour Satheesan. He believes Satheesan comes across as arrogant. Similar sentiments are shared by several local MLAs. Over the past decade, Satheesan has lost strong working relationships with many of them. All these factors could work against his ambitions for the Chief Minister’s post.”
Meanwhile, K C Venugopal is said to have begun planning well ahead of the elections. A source noted, “He was instrumental in mobilising a significant portion of the funds for the Congress campaign. He played a key role in both planning and execution. He has also built a team to strengthen his image within Kerala.”
The source added that Sunny Joseph, the KPCC president, along with several young leaders, is backing Venugopal. Sunny Joseph, too, appeared to signal support while responding to reporters on May 4 after the results.
Flex boards endorsing Venugopal have come up outside the KPCC office, Indira Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram, with some even declaring, “After Kunjoonju (Oommen Chandy), it is KC.” At the same time, posters backing Ramesh Chennithala, V D Satheesan, and K Muraleedharan have also appeared across parts of the city.