The hidden power struggles behind the Kerala CM race | Powertrip Special #148

Hello,Welcome to this week’s Powertrip, a political newsletter exclusively curated for TNM and NL subscribers. This week’s edition is by Dhanya Rajendran, Shabbir Ahmed, and Pooja Prasanna.In this week’s edition, we decode the intense power struggle inside the Congress over Kerala’s next chief minister, the Delhi lobbying around KC Venugopal, and a media house targeting VD Satheesan. We also look at how backroom negotiations, shifting MLA loyalties, and national ambitions are shaping Kerala politics behind the scenes. Also, what happens when haters and well-wishers come together. For those who can’t access the full newsletter, get a subscription and read every Tuesday..Inside TrackExclusive stories, for your eyes onlyInside Congress’ tangled battle over Kerala’s next CMThe suspense over who will become Kerala’s next chief minister was like a movie’s bad ending. Now, even if you are reading this newsletter after the CM’s name is announced, we hope this allows you to understand how the whole process was flawed and led to multiple confusions.Shifting numbersThe first issue is the numbers game.In the initial round of talks with central observers, around 43 MLAs are believed to have backed KC Venugopal for the CM post. VD Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala reportedly received support from around six MLAs each, while the rest left the decision to the high command.But the picture changed in the more private, one-on-one conversations. There, over 33 MLAs are said to have expressed support for Satheesan, while 22 backed KC. The shifting numbers have only added to the uncertainty around the final call.Delhi gameThe second layer of the story is even more intriguing.KC has his staunch backers who believe he should be given a shot at becoming the Kerala CM. They cite umpteen reasons for it. KC brought money, KC has the approval of MLAs and religious groups, KC has proved organisational merit etc.A powerful lobby of Congress leaders in Delhi has been aggressively pushing KC’s case. But not everyone backing him is doing so out of loyalty.Several leaders, according to insiders, simply want KC moved out of Delhi. Many believe he has disproportionate influence with Rahul Gandhi and acts as a gatekeeper who shapes perceptions within the party leadership. Removing him from the national capital, they believe, would open up their own access to Rahul.As one senior leader in the high command’s office put it rather bluntly: many are willing to “sacrifice Kerala for the sake of India”. Another told us that this is the first time well-wishers and haters want someone as CM.Satheesan factorVD Satheesan, meanwhile, has earned sort of a reputation in Delhi for his blunt, no nonsense style, even when dealing with the high command itself. For some leaders, that has become a point of admiration. For others, it has reinforced the view that he is arrogant.One recent incident captures that divide.A few weeks ago, KPCC president Sunny Joseph convened a meeting involving Kerala Congress leaders and members of the high command. Satheesan, then leader of the Congress Legislative Party, was informed about the meeting but was not consulted beforehand. Feeling slighted, he initially refused to attend before reluctantly agreeing.At the meeting, several state leaders reportedly turned on Satheesan. Rahul Gandhi too sided with them at first, remarking that no individual was bigger than the party and that Satheesan did not need to attend if he felt otherwise.What followed appears to have caught many in the room off guard.Satheesan openly challenged Rahul, arguing that the situation had been judged based on only one side of the story. He pointed out that despite his position, Sunny Joseph had failed to consult him before calling the meeting, which he saw as a direct insult. According to sources familiar with the exchange, Rahul later acknowledged Satheesan’s point and apologised.If you speak to anyone rooting for KC, they would tell you that Satheesan is tough to deal with and therefore MLAs don’t prefer him. There is a sliver of truth here as we did cross-check with a few MLAs, but to say that a majority of MLAs have issues with Satheesan is a gross exaggeration. Media warNow, parallel to the lobbying war, another battle is unfolding through the media.A section of the Malayalam media has recently amplified stories about Satheesan meeting BM Farooq in Mangaluru during the first week of May. Farooq, a wealthy businessman, is known to have had longstanding ties with the JD(S). While photographs of the meeting were publicly shared by Farooq himself at the time, recent reports have attempted to call this a meeting between Satheesan and NDA leaders since JD(S) is part of the NDA.Satheesan’s team claims that the meeting was not pre-planned and that they ran into each other at the Mangalore airport. Satheesan had flown there for a trip to the Mookambika Devi temple in Udupi’s Kolluru.The story first surfaced on Big TV. As mentioned in an earlier edition of Powertrip, the channel is owned by Vijay Kanth Reddy Vennam, who is widely believed to have links to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.Within Congress circles, and even among some of Farooq’s associates, there is growing belief that it is an orchestrated smear campaign.Because it is well known within JD(S) and Congress circles that in the last two years – especially after the JD(S) entered into an alliance with the BJP – Farooq no longer is associated with HD Kumaraswamy. Farooq’s brother Mohiuddin Bawa, who is a former MLA from Mangalore North, had quit the Congress in 2023 after he was denied a ticket to contest the Assembly elections and joined JD(S). He lost the elections and he too, like Farooq, has been keeping his distance.But more importantly, the meeting between Farooq and Satheesan is seen as nothing out of the ordinary because the two have known each other for many years and have met each other socially when Satheesan visits Mangaluru. In the past, Farooq has played host during Satheesan’s visit to the Mookambika temple and this time too, that was the purpose of the visit. Chief Minister Vijay’s choice of officersAnd one bonus story from Tamil Nadu.As a new government takes charge, officers and bureaucrats are clueless about whom to establish contact with in the TVK ecosystem. Some officers had reached out to TVK general secretary N Anand, some to Aadhav Arjuna, and others to IRS officer-turned-party propaganda secretary – and now MLA – Arunraj.Despite reaching out through their contacts, the officers had no clue about how appointments were being considered.Party sources also said that all recommendations made through TVK leaders were sidelined, and party chief Vijay and his core team huddled together to make the decisions.The most important appointments for the posts of Chief Secretary, Finance Secretary, DGP, and head of Intelligence are being carefully considered by the Chief Minister’s Office. Top sources told TNM that the CM is not willing to replace the present Chief Secretary Sai Kumar, who is considered an efficient officer, even though he is due to retire in a few months.As far as the Head of Police Force (HoPF) is concerned, the present government is willing to continue the services of the current Director General of Police, Sandeep Rai Rathore.Inspector General of Police, Asra Garg, is likely to be appointed as the head of Intelligence, and Amalraj is expected to be appointed as the Chennai Commissioner of Police.Zero HourA political story of public importanceIndian hospitals are pushing robotic surgery, but do you really need it?.As more private hospitals install robotic systems, patients are being nudged to undergo costlier procedures, sometimes even when they do not need them.PowermovesTop 5 political storiesDelays, debt, disputes: Inside the saga of Bengaluru’s Ejipura flyoverVCK: The Dalit party that reshaped Tamil Nadu politicsBeyond anti-incumbency: What Kerala’s verdict says about the LDFChandrababu Naidu backs PM Modi’s appeal to save forexDelay in POCSO case on Union Min Bandi Sanjay’s son: DGP says Modi visit kept cops busy