As per various reports, Senior Congress figures VD Satheesan, KC Venugopal, and Ramesh Chennithala are regarded as the primary candidates for the chief ministerial position.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi conducted a three-hour meeting in New Delhi on Saturday with key Kerala leaders to address government formation and leadership matters, according to PTI.
The meeting, held at Kharge’s residence, included Congress general secretary assigned to Kerala Deepa Dasmunshi, Venugopal, Satheesan, Chennithala, Kerala Congress chief Sunny Joseph, and senior observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik.
Following the meeting, Dasmunshi stated that the ultimate decision regarding the chief minister would be made by Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and announced “very soon”.
She emphasized that May 23 is the last date for finalizing the government formation process, assuring that a decision would be reached well before that deadline.
According to PTI, all newly elected Congress MLAs in Kerala have endorsed a one-line resolution giving the party high command the authority to make the final decision on leadership.
The Congress leadership has also urged party members to halt protests, flexboard campaigns, and social media mobilization supporting individual leaders, in light of factional activities that have emerged following the electoral victory.
Satheesan remarked that these campaigns were fostering an “image of division” within the party, despite the UDF achieving a “historic and brilliant win”.
The UDF has returned to power with a substantial majority in the 140-member Kerala Assembly, marking the end of a decade-long rule by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by Pinarayi Vijayan. The Congress has emerged as the single largest party, while ally Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is expected to play a significant role in cabinet and portfolio discussions as talks about government formation progress.
