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Kerala CM race: Suspense continues as Congress defers decision to high command
AICC observers consulted Kerala Congress MLAs on the CM post after a UDF victory, with VD Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala, and KC Venugopal as top contenders.
Two observers sent by the AICC leadership held consultations with the party’s MLA-elects and passed a resolution on Thursday authorising the high command to decide on the chief minister’s post, days after the UDF alliance scored a landslide victory in the Kerala assembly elections.
The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting took place at Indira Bhawan, the state party headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, shortly after 11 am, during which the resolution was adopted, and the 63 MLAs-elect of the party were sounded out by the observers, Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik, on their preferences and opinions on the top post.
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At present, the leading contenders for the CM’s post are outgoing Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, former LoP and minister Ramesh Chennithala and AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal. While Satheesan and Chennithala are MLAs from Paravur and Haripad respectively, Venugopal is a Lok Sabha MP from Alappuzha.
After the meeting, Maken told reporters, “Mukulji and I passed a one-line resolution. We talked to the MLAs one-by-one and now we are going back to Delhi tonight with our report. We will submit the report to the high command. We don’t have any names (for CM post). You will come to know very soon.”
KPCC president Sunny Joseph affirmed that the high command will take the final call on the nominee for the chief minister’s post.
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Angamaly MLA-elect Roji M John said the decision will be taken in a “democratic” way. “We are a democratic party. Everyone is entitled to state their opinions. We all have that freedom. We believe in the leadership of the party. They will take the right decision at the right time,” he said.
The two observers also held discussions with party MPs like Shafi Parambil and Kodikunnil Suresh as well as key allies such as Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Kerala Congress (Joseph), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and single-MLA parties like the Communist Marxist Party (CMP) and Kerala Congress (Jacob).
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IUML general secretary PK Kunhalikutty told reporters after the meeting, “We have conveyed our opinion (regarding the CM post) to the observers. They will relay it to the AICC. We cannot share that opinion with the media. We wait for the final decision by the AICC.”
A close confidante of VD Satheesan told HT that they have the support of at least 35 MLAs of the party along with the backing of allies like the IUML.
“We are highly confident that we have the numbers as well as the support of allies in our favour. The numbers being cited by the Venugopal-led camp are highly inflated. He does not have that kind of support,” the leader said.
He also countered the criticism by a section of the party leadership that Satheesan lacks administrative experience. “When AK Antony was made the CM in 1977 at the age of 36, he had no prior experience. He was only the state Congress president. VS Achuthanandan similarly became CM in 2006 without holding any prior ministerial berth. So these things don’t matter,” he said.
IUML backs Satheesan, Cong MLA lashes out
The IUML, which holds 22 seats of the 102 seats of the UDF and is the oldest ally of the Congress in Kerala, has indicated its backing for Satheesan as CM and is learnt to have proposed his name to the observers.
KM Shaji, one of the newly-elected MLAs of IUML, told local media that Satheesan has vindicated the AICC’s belief in him when he was appointed LoP five years ago.
“This election victory is proof of the honest and dedicated work and leadership of Satheesan. He proved that the AICC’s decision to appoint him as LoP was correct. So unwanted discussions on the CM’s post are not healthy. The public mandate of 102 seats must be respected,” Shaji said, indirectly endorsing Satheesan for CM.
However, Mathew Kuzhalnadan, Muvattupuzha MLA-elect and seen to be close to KC Venugopal, lashed out at IUML for trying to interfere in the internal process within the Congress.
“We don’t interfere in the functioning of the IUML nor do we suggest who should lead that party. So we expect them not to interfere in our process as well,” he said.
