Kerala Congress chief Sunny Joseph does not rule out KC Venugopal as Kerala’s next Chief Minister as the United Democratic Front (UDF) heads towards victory.
As counting progressed on Monday, May 4, and it became clearer that the UDF was set to win the Assembly election, Sunny Joseph again indicated that KC Venugopal could emerge as the Chief Minister.
To a question by the media on a non-MLA becoming the chief minister, Sunny Joseph said that it was possible. “Why not? Achuta Menon was not an MLA when he became the CM,” Sunny Joseph said, referring to the former CM.
But on being asked specifically if the Congress would name KC Venugopal as the CM, Sunny Joseph said, “I don’t want to say anything more.”
C Achutha Menon of the Communist Party of India (CPI) became Kerala’s fifth CM on November 1, 1969, but he was not an MLA.
In 1964, the Communist Party split into the CPI and the CPI (Marxist) or CPI(M). In the next election, both the parties fought together in a seven party alliance. They won against the Congress and EMS Namboothiripad of the CPI(M) became the Chief Minister. But in two years, the ministry fell and the differences between the two Communist parties put them in rival fronts. Briefly, a government led by CPI’s Achutha Menon, a Rajya Sabha member, came to power for a few months. Achutha Menon was not a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in 1969 and won a bye-election from Kottarakkara within a few months.
KC Venugopal is one of the most powerful leaders in the Congress after the Congress president and the Gandhis. He is also very close to Rahul Gandhi.
Hailing from Kannur, KC Venugopal started his political career through student politics. During his term as the college union president, KC caught the eyes of Kerala Students Union’s district leadership, and was soon made district committee member. In 1988, when AK Antony served as the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, elections were held to the top posts in KSU, in which KC emerged victorious and became state president.
