Final decision on Kerala CM turns into political cliff-hanger as ball now in Congress High Command’s court

The determination connected Congress’ Chief Minister successful Kerala seemed to presume the contours of a governmental cliff-hanger connected Friday (May 8, 2026). The question of who among the purported 3 Chief Minister probables – Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, All India Congress Committee (AICC) wide caput K.C. Venugopal, and elder person Ramesh Chennithala – would marque the chopped appeared acceptable to spell down to the wire, with enactment High Command reportedly scheduled to marque the pivotal announcement connected Sunday. 

Mr. Satheesan, Mr. Chennithala and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph were bound for Delhi, reportedly for a penultimate circular of discussions with the party’s High Command connected Saturday. 

Meanwhile, the accidental disclosure of a portion of a papers purportedly showing a database of “yes” votes from elected Congress MLAs supposedly backing Mr Venugopal, published successful a paper connected Friday, caused governmental embarrassment, prompting AICC observers Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken to contradict the “record’s legitimacy”. 

Notably, Mr. Joseph, who, arsenic per the “questionable” papers surreptitiously captured by a lensman, appeared to backmost Mr. Venugopal, stated somewhat enigmatically to reporters that “numbers meant everything successful parliamentary politics”. His connection assumed immoderate value against the backdrop of reports that a bulk of Congress’ MLA designates had backed Mr Venugopal for the “top post”. Notably, Sandeep Varier, different MLA designate whose sanction was connected the “yes sayer’s list”, did not contradict that helium had backed Mr Venugopal. The “list” seemed to clasp a reflector up to the allegedly raging powerfulness struggles and turmoil successful Congress implicit the Chief Minister’s post. 

For one, the party’s MLA-designate from Uduma successful Kasaragod, N. Neelakantan, emailed AICC’s observers that they had “erroneously” recorded his “definite choice” for the Chief Minister’s station arsenic “neutral” successful the “list”. Mr Neelakantan’s ailment triggered societal media insinuations by Congress’ “faction fighters” that attempts were afoot to stack the likelihood successful Mr. Venugopal’s favour by disregarding “naysayers”. 

Allies explicit apprehension

Notably, UDF allies person repeatedly expressed apprehensions that the “vexatious” enactment process would carve up the Congress and, by extension, the alliance, rendering the tight-knit enactment squad that delivered the humanities electoral triumph divided profoundly. 

Mr. Satheesan, Mr. Venugopal and Mr. Chennithala are astatine antithetic points successful their agelong governmental career. A KPCC insider said that the High Command had reportedly summoned the 3 leaders to Delhi, perchance to “work retired a woody to avert an acrimonious enactment contention that mightiness person implications for the adjacent UDF government”. 

Meanwhile, the poster warfare betwixt the supporters of the 3 leaders seemed to beryllium spiralling retired of control, with scores of new, competing hoardings appearing crossed Kerala.