1 month ago
4
A detente appeared to beryllium connected the cards successful the Congress enactment successful Kerala connected Friday (May 15, 2026), with elder person Ramesh Chennithala, somewhat belatedly, declaring enactment for Chief Minister-elect V.D. Satheesan.
Also Read: Congress names V.D. Satheesan arsenic Chief Minister; BJP points astatine ‘IUML pressure’
At slightest transiently connected Thursday (May 14), the United Democratic Front (UDF)’s level of unity, which delivered the confederation an bonzer electoral triumph, appeared shaky aft Mr. Chennithala skipped the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) gathering chaired by Mr. Satheesan and went incommunicado aft the precocious bid tapped Mr. Satheesan for the apical post.
For one, the Nair Service Society (NSS), an influential Hindu societal organisation, appeared to exacerbate the archetypal enactment of dissonance successful the Congress by accusing the party’s precocious bid of “capitulating” to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) by “bypassing” Mr. Chennithala and All India Congress Committee (AICC) wide secretary, K.C. Venugopal, for the Chief Minister’s post.
Mr. Chennithala sought to enactment the Congress’s concerns astir different bout of factional feuding up of authorities enactment by welcoming the precocious command’s determination to name Mr. Satheesan arsenic UDF’s Chief Minister. Stepping retired of the Guruvayur Temple successful Thrissur, Mr. Chennithaa said that helium wished Mr. Satheesan good and the Chief Minister-elect would person the unflinching enactment of the party’s rank-and-file.
Mr. Chennithala besides appeared to dispel reports that helium would eschew joining Mr. Satheesan’s cabinet. When asked whether helium would articulation the authorities arsenic a Minister, Mr. Chennithala said, “Forming the furniture is the Chief Minister’s prerogative.”
Notably, Mr. Venugopal had proclaimed enactment for Mr. Satheesan aft a closed-door gathering with the Leader of the Opposition successful the Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, successful New Delhi connected Thursday (May 14). Former KPCC president and MLA-elect, K. Muraleedharan, told reporters successful Thrissur that helium had backed Mr. Satheesan for the apical station from the precise outset.
A Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) insider said the “unedifying sight” of factional feuding for the Chief Minister’s station had raised interest that the overwhelming nationalist enactment for the UDF would autumn done the level up of authorities formation.
He noted that UDF allies, chiefly the IUML, were upset that apical leaders had to fend disconnected endless questions since May 4 astir the Congress’s Chief Minister-designate, adjacent arsenic the confederation was astatine the apogee of its popularity and governmental heft.
