3 weeks ago
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The Congress Legislative Party, which met successful Thiruvananthapuram connected Thursday (May 7, 2026), passed a solution authorising the enactment precocious bid to take the adjacent Chief Minister of Kerala, adjacent arsenic the 3 leaders successful contention were progressive successful hectic parleys to unafraid the enactment of MLAs.
At Indira Bhavan, the office of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), All India Congress Committee (AICC) observers Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken arsenic good arsenic AICC wide caput and Kerala in-charge Deepa Dasmunsi held one-on-one meetings with the 63 legislators of the Congress to cognize astir their prime for the Chief Minister’s post.
After the Congress-led United Democratic Front’s (UDF) triumph successful the Assembly elections, a three-way combat had begun for the Chief Minister’s post, with outgoing Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan, AICC wide caput (organisation) and Alappuzha MP K.C. Venugopal, and elder person Ramesh Chennithala successful contention.
The underlying tensions wrong the party, which threatened to instrumentality immoderate of the sheen distant from the UDF’s monolithic victory, spilled connected to the streets. Congress workers held protests successful enactment of Mr. Satheesan successful Nettoor successful Ernakulam territory arsenic good arsenic astatine Peravoor successful Kannur, the constituency of KPCC president Sunny Joseph.
Flex boards appeared successful assorted parts of the State successful enactment of and against the 3 leaders. While boards indicating enactment to Mr. Venugopal were disposable connected the roadworthy starring the KPCC headquarters, banners appeared successful beforehand of the District Congress Committee bureau successful Alappuzha asking Mr. Venugopal to not unit byelections. The banners successful Alappuzha were aboriginal removed by Congress workers.
MLAs who walked retired aft the gathering with the observers remained tight-lipped astir their choices.
Former KPCC president K. Sudhakaran, who is understood to beryllium batting for Mr. Venugopal, said, “We person not lone Satheesan, but a bulk of bully leaders.”
Mr. Sudhakaran, who had initially rebelled against the denial of candidature up of the Assembly elections, has been unhappy regarding the Kerala leadership’s basal to not let MPs to contention the elections.
Majority of the UDF confederation partners, including the Indian Union Muslim League, who met the AICC observers connected Thursday afternoon, are understood to beryllium favouring Mr. Satheesan. IUML wide caput P. K. Kunhalikutty said that the enactment has conveyed its prime to the observers.
Congress person Mathew Kuzhalnadan had earlier successful the time said that allies request not authorities their basal regarding the Congress Legislative Party leader. “Does the Congress marque immoderate sentiment connected who should go the legislative enactment person of the Muslim League oregon RSP,” helium asked.
Kerala Congress (Joseph) chairperson P. J. Joseph said that a determination should beryllium made considering the “public sentiment” and besides that a sitting MLA should go the Chief Minister, indicating that their enactment is for Mr. Satheesan.
Revolutionary Socialist Party State caput Shibu Baby John, who expressed anticipation that the caller authorities volition beryllium sworn successful without overmuch delay, said that the enactment did not specify immoderate name.
Ahead of the gathering with the observers, Mr. Satheesan’s supporters are learnt to person raised a request to not let Ms. Dasmunsi to beryllium portion of the meeting. However, this request was not considered. The observers volition convey the opinions of the MLAs, MPs and confederation partners to the precocious command, which is expected to instrumentality a last telephone aft talks with the 3 leaders successful contention.
Mr. Venugopal claims the enactment of a bulk of Congress MLAs, but according to Congress sources Mr. Satheesan has stuck adamantly to the basal that helium would take to not go a portion of the Ministry unless helium is fixed the Chief Minister’s post. He is of the presumption that much than the enactment of the MLAs and MPs, opinions of the allies arsenic good arsenic the nationalist sentiment person to beryllium considered.
Mr. Maken and Mr. Wasnik told the media that they volition manus implicit the study to the precocious bid instantly and a determination volition beryllium arrived astatine soon.
