Kerala Congress Legislature Party meeting will be held at 1 pm in Thiruvananthapuram on May 14.
The Kerala situation has turned into a catch-22 for the Congress, reminiscent of the power struggle in Karnataka between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar after the party’s victory. (AI-generated photo)
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge met Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday amid continued suspense over the next chief minister of Kerala, where the party-led United Democratic Front (UDF) registered a landslide victory in the recent election.
But Kharge’s huddle with Rahul Gandhi appeared to have sealed the fate of party leaders vying for the top post. Following the meeting, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh informed that the high command of Congress has completed all discussions and the decision will be announced on Thursday.
Kerala Congress chief Sunny Joseph said the Congress Legislature Party meeting will be held at 1 pm on May 14.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, the Congress Legislature Party meeting will be held at 1 pm in Thiruvananthapuram on May 14.
The Congress-led UDF secured a more than two-thirds majority in the Kerala Assembly elections, but the party has since been engaged in prolonged consultations over the leadership issue amid lobbying by different camps and protests by workers at the ground level.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, and senior party leader Chennithala are among the prominent names being considered for the post.
Rahul Gandhi had held separate discussions with several Kerala leaders and former state Congress chiefs in recent days to assess the political situation before the high command moved towards a final decision.
In Kerala, the homes of Congress Chief Minister hopefuls Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan remained crowded on Wednesday with anxious supporters through the day as the party continued deliberations over the leadership choice.
Party workers from across Kerala gathered outside both residences through the day, waiting for word from Delhi. Supporters arriving from Haripad, Chennithala’s home constituency, as well as districts including Wayanad and Alappuzha, waited in clusters on the premises and nearby roadside, constantly tracking television channels and scrolling through mobile phones for updates emerging from the national capital.
“Everyone here has strong hope and excitement. We believe Chennithala ji is the natural choice considering his long political and organisational experience,” said a woman party worker waiting outside the residence.
Meanwhile, a few Congress MLAs, including Mohammed Shiyas, visited Satheesan’s home in the morning. As the day progressed, a large crowd of his supporters gathered outside his residence, hoping for his selection as chief minister.
In the evening, the number of supporters increased, and they raised slogans in favour of Satheesan as the expected time of announcement of the Kerala CM by the party high command neared.
In their slogans, the supporters described him as the “guardian of secularism” and waved party flags.
Earlier on Wednesday, posters were put up near the Wayanad District Congress Committee office against Rahul Gandhi and Venugopal. Some of the messages targeted Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka directly, saying Kerala would not forgive their “foolish decisions”. The posters further warned the Gandhi siblings to “forget Wayanad”, claiming they would not win from the constituency again.
Thiruvananthapuram, India, India
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